Second North American Sea Duck Conference - Patuxent Wildlife ...

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SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE SURVIVAL OF COMMON EIDERS FROM THE EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC WITH CHANGING HARVEST REGULATIONS IN GREENLAND Myra O. Wiebe Robertson¹, H. Grant Gilchrist², Eric T. Reed³, and Gregory J. Robertson 4 ¹Canadian Wildlife Service, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; myra.robertson@ec.gc.ca ²Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario ³Canadian Wildlife Service, Gatineau, Quebec 4 Canadian Wildlife Service, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland Most northern common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) that breed in the eastern Canadian arctic migrate to winter in west Greenland and the rest go to Atlantic Canada. Until Greenland hunting regulations were restricted in 2003, harvest levels in Greenland were very high and were suspected to be unsustainable. In this study, we are estimating survival probabilities of northern common eiders before and after the stricter hunting regulations were introduced in Greenland to assess whether these changes in harvest had an impact on survival. Survival was estimated using capture-recapture models from data collected by banding and re-sighting individuals at a large breeding colony at East Bay, Southampton Island (in northern Hudson Bay, Canada). Our field site at East Bay has the only established banded population of eiders in the eastern Canadian arctic and therefore is the only location where pre- and post-regulatory restriction data can be collected. Since 1996, over 3100 adult eiders and 1200 ducklings have been banded. Greater than 50% of banded females and 7% of males have been resighted at East Bay in subsequent years. Preliminary survival analyses from data collected from 1996 to 2002 indicate that adult female eiders had only a 73% (± 2.6%) probability of surviving each year, which means that they typically only live to be 7-10 years old. This survival rate is very low when compared to other eider populations around the world, and suggests that adult mortality was extremely high during that time period. In order to assess whether the recent restrictions in harvest in Greenland has been successful in increasing eider survival, we are deriving survival rates for before and after the changes in Greenland hunting regulations. 44 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA NOV. 7-11, 2005
SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE EIDERDOWN HARVESTING: A TOOL FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH Jean Bédard¹, Jean-Francois Giroux 1 and Jean-Pierre L. Savard 2 1La Société Duvetnor Ltée, C.P. 305, 200 rue Hayward, Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, Canada, G5R 3Y9 2Canadian Wildlife Service, 1141 Route de l’Église, P.O. Box; jean-pierre.savard@ec.gc.ca Eiderdown has been harvested for centuries for use in clothing and has become a luxury item in some parts of Europe, thus providing an additional source of revenue for some northern communities. In the St. Lawrence River estuary, it has become an important conservation tool in several ways: first, all income from eiderdown sales is funneled back into habitat protection; second, trained harvesters monitor eider populations as they go (numbers, incidence of disease, condition of nesting habitat, etc.) which has provided a unique and scientifically sound database; and third, it has provided a strong incentive for protecting the resource. Eiderdown harvesting, when properly done, has minimal impacts on reproductive success and is a highly sustainable activity. Eiderdown harvest also occurs in 11 of the 14 Nunavik (northern Quebec) communities and 75% of the harvest is done in four villages (Kangirsuk, Kangiqsuqjuak, Salluit and Aupaluk). These communities are rapidly moving from a traditional to a commercial use of this resource. The quantity of down harvested in Nunavik has increased from 2,000 to 5,000 kg (raw down) between year 2000 and 2004. The average yearly harvest of Eiderdown has been 3,300-374 kg/year over the past seven years. Northern communities could draw benefits from the St. Lawrence experience and produce their own northern eider management plan. However, the task is complex because several users compete for the eider resource across its range (down harvesters, meat hunters, egg collectors). We believe that properly trained eiderdown harvesters operating in a well coordinated program can become true partners in conservation and management of eiders, improving eider breeding success, the quantity and quality of down harvested, and effectively monitoring the breeding population. The economic benefits derived from this northern resource can be a tremendous incentive for its conservation and its sustainable harvest. NOV. 7-11, 2005 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA 45
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Allard, Karel 5, 62 Anderson, Eric
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