Waterbird predation on fish in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics model application

A bioenergetics model to assess the total fish intake of pisicivorous waterbirds, including migrant birds such as Red-breasted Merganser, revealed their per annum intake of fish from the western Lake Erie, NY, to be 13,368 tons, which is approximately one-seventh of the prey fish biomass needed to sustain the walleyes in the lake for one full season. Prominent nesting species in the lake included the Herring Gull, the Ring-billed Gull and the Great Egret.