The roselaari subspecies of Red Knot is one of the rarest shorebird populations breeding in North America, based on a the current population size estimate of 17,000 individuals (Carmona et al 2013). As a result of suspected declines,the roselaari subspecies has been designated as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and was petitioned for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to not conduct a full status review for listing was based on the lack of substantial information identifying threats and population trends (USFWS 2011). The apparent low population size coupled with the scarcity of information on many demographic and ecological variables (e.g., vital rates, population trends, connectivity among breeding and non-breeding locations, and threats and stresses influencing individuals throughout the annual cycle) resulted in the listing of the Calidris canutus roselaari subspecies as a species of greatest conservation concern in the Alaska Shorebird Conservation Plan Version III (Alaska Shorebird Group 2019). The objective of the Red Knot migration study is to examine the locations used by adult Red Knots (Calidris canutus roselaari) during their annual lifecycle, specifically: 1) Determine key stopover, staging, breeding, and overwintering areas, and 2) Determine timing and routes used by migratory knots. Location information is collected through the use of Argos PinPoint GPS transmitters, deployed on adult Red Knots staying at Grays Harbor, WA of two genetically distinct populations (Russian breeders and Alaskan breeders).
