Speaker Highlight

 Arnold Schouten-private aviculturist: "Raising Sea Ducks In Captivity"

Arnold Schouten has been raising waterfowl at Dry Creek Waterfowl in Port Angeles, Washington for the past 34 years. He and his wife Debbie live on a forested 50 acre piece of land with a year-round creek and spring. They have developed numerous ponds, water features, wetlands and waterfowl aviaries. Over the years Arnold has worked with over 40 different waterfowl species at this location. The goal at Dry Creek Waterfowl has been to maintain a captive population for the benefit of the wild populations through breeding and research.

After responding to a massive oil spill in Port Angeles in 1985, Arnold committed his focus to raising sea ducks. Since few species of this group were held in captivity and little was known about their captive management and rehabilitation there was obviously a need for a captive sea duck population. Arnold made trips to the Arctic to collect eggs for the nucleus of his breeding stock. Presently he has established a breeding population of Buffleheads, Long-tails, Harlequins, White-winged Scoters, Smew, Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers, King, Pacific and Spectacled Eiders, Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes and recently Chinese Scaly-sided Mergansers were added to the collection.

Arnold has worked with government agencies, zoos, private aviculturalists and college students on various research projects. He has been a wildlife responder on three major oil spills and worked with researchers from universities and zoos on sea duck management and husbandry practices. He has currently been assisting with the threatened Steller's Eider field research projects in Barrow, Alaska. Arnold has received numerous awards for his expertise, breeding successes and contributions to sea ducks both in captivity and in the wild.



 

 

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