Common Murre Decoys
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Common Murre – Hollow, rotomolded polyethylene, 1/4”/20
threaded insert for anchor rod. Available in standing and
nesting postures.
The Apex Houston oil tanker spill in 1986 in San Francisco
Bay to Long Beach Harbor killed approximately 6,000 Murres
including the colony on Devil’s Slide Rock just south
of San Francisco. Following a monetary settlement for the
damage, representatives from NOAA, the USFWS, and the California
Department of Fish and Game joined together and established
a Trustee Council. This council was responsible for reviewing,
designing and implementing habitat restoration of areas damaged
by the spill.
The Common Murre Restoration Project began in 1995 with the
goal of re-establishing Common Murres on Devil’s Slide
Rock. Mad River Decoy supplied about 400 adult Murre decoys
and eggs that were used in project. The decoys, along with
mirror boxes and sound systems, acted as social attractants
for this highly colonial bird. The program was very successful
and far exceeded project expectations in the first year. Numbers
of breeding Murres have increased every year. The number of
decoys is now being reduced to allow for more breeding space.
In 2001, Mad River Decoy provided the project with 50 Brandt’s
Cormorants to be placed in the colony as confidence decoys.
Another valuable aspect of this project is its educational
component. Local school children help repaint the decoys every
year as part of their studies on the environment and local
marine ecology.
(Sources: www.darp.noaa.gov/southwest/apex/restore.html
and www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov/coast&ocean/winter2002-03/pages/four.htm)
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