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Why do we study Pacific Black Brant geese?

Black Brant geese nest in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Europe, and Russia. Pacific Black Brant--found primarily in Alaska during summer--are a focal species of international attention because of their importance to subsistence and sport hunters and their wide geographic range. Since 1963, surveys have been conducted every fall at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska to record the number of juvenile and adult Pacific Black Brant geese. This data is used to calculate and monitor the overall population of Pacific Black Brant.