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Information on the status, trends and dynamics of large gulls nesting in northern areas is limited. Herring (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed (L. marinus) gull breeding colonies were surveyed in coastal Labrador, Canada, from 1998 to 2003 to assess short-term population trends and colony site dynamics. Between 1998 and 2003, 117 islands distributed across three major archipelagos were surveyed on two or more occasions, documenting 1,054 gull clutches. Nesting was noticeably uniform across islands in the archipelagos, with mild aggregations noted in only one region. Incidence (the proportion of islands occupied by Herring and Great Black-backed gulls) declined over the study period, and there were fewer colonization events than abandonment events (also suggesting declines). Abundance declined in one region and overall at 2.9% per year over the 6-year period. Colony abandonment rates did not detectably decline with increasing colony size, and island isolation, indexed by the number of isla...

Very few large-scale studies of breeding marine birds have been conducted in Labrador. To address this information deficit, we conducted near-shore aerial surveys of the Labrador coastline between 6–11 and 21–26 June 2006. Our primary species of interest was Somateria mollissima (Common Eider), for which we counted only adult males. In total, we identified 8 species and 5 species categories (alcid colony, mixed tern and gull colony, etc). In total, we counted 40,700 birds, of which Common Eiders were the most widely distributed species, accounting for 88% of all flock/colony observations. Melanitta perspicillata (Surf Scoter) was the second most abundant species, but had a limited distribution, while Cepphus grylle (Black Guillemot) was the third most abundant species observed, but showed the second widest regional distribution. This information is valuable to resource managers and ecosystem researchers.

This paper presents the results of collaborative research conducted in 2007 on the harvest of migratory bird eggs by Inuit households of Nunatsiavut, Labrador. Harvest variability between communities and species is examined, as is the social and ecological factors affecting the 2007 Inuit egg harvest. Representing the first comprehensive account of Inuit egg use in Labrador, this information should be valuable to agencies responsible for managing migratory bird populations in North America and will contribute to a more informed understanding of the complexity and temporal variability in subsistence harvesting among Labrador Inuit. It is argued that the recognition of this complexity will be critical as the Nunatsiavut Government and other wildlife management agencies formulate management policies that are supportive rather, than constraining, to Inuit resource use in the future.

Understanding how environmental factors affect ecological parameters is important to understanding and predicting impacts of environmental change. Given evidence and anticipated impacts of climate variability, this is especially true with respect to sea ice and its role in animal life history in northern regions. We examined relationships between the extent of consolidated spring ice cover (pack and landfast), nest initiation and clutch size in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in northern Labrador, a sub-Arctic region on the east coast of Canada. Our initial prediction was that eiders would delay nesting and have smaller clutches in years with more extensive spring ice cover. Between 1998 and 2003, we surveyed coastal islands for breeding eiders and collected information on nest age and clutch size. For those years, we estimated ice cover based on Radarsat-1 images supplied by the Canadian Ice Service during the spring period (approximately June 7–12). We found that spring ice cover was a significant positive predictor of nest initiation date, and the regression equation indicated that if the average extent of ice cover around nesting islands increased by 18 ha, average nesting date was delayed by approximately 1 day. Nest initiation date was a significant negative predictor of clutch size, and the regression equation indicated that a 20 day delay in nesting reduced average clutch size by approximately 1 egg. However, ice cover itself was not a significant predictor of clutch size. Our findings suggest that eiders breed when ice is present, but ice extent may negatively influence aspects of their breeding ecology.

Integrating knowledge from across the natural and social sciences is necessary to effectively address societal tradeoffs between human use of biological diversity and its preservation. Collaborative processes can change the ways decision makers think about scientific evidence, enhance levels of mutual trust and credibility, and advance the conservation policy discourse. Canada has responsibility for a large fraction of some major ecosystems, such as boreal forests, Arctic tundra, wetlands, and temperate and Arctic oceans. Stressors to biological diversity within these ecosystems arise from activities of the country's resource-based economy, as well as external drivers of environmental change. Effective management is complicated by incongruence between ecological and political boundaries and conflicting perspectives on social and economic goals. Many knowledge gaps about stressors and their management might be reduced through targeted, timely research. We identify 40 questions that, if addressed or answered, would advance research that has a high probability of supporting development of effective policies and management strategies for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in Canada. A total of 396 candidate questions drawn from natural and social science disciplines were contributed by individuals with diverse organizational affiliations. These were collaboratively winnowed to 40 by our team of collaborators. The questions emphasize understanding ecosystems, the effects and mitigation of climate change, coordinating governance and management efforts across multiple jurisdictions, and examining relations between conservation policy and the social and economic well-being of Aboriginal peoples. The questions we identified provide potential links between evidence from the conservation sciences and formulation of policies for conservation and resource management. Our collaborative process of communication and engagement between scientists and decision makers for generating and prioritizing research questions at a national level could be a model for similar efforts beyond Canada.

Weekly aerial surveys were conducted in central Labrador during the spring staging period (27 April to 29 May, 2000), and the relative abundance of waterfowl was documented. Anas rupribes (American Black Duck) and Bucephala clangula (Common Goldeneye) were among the first species to arrive, while peak waterfowl diversity occurred on the latest survey date. Overall, Branta canadensis (Canada Geese) were the most abundant species, followed by American Black Duck and Anas crecca (Green-winged Teal). As expected, the relative abundance of these species varied by date and region. By the time of the last survey on 29 May, average flock size had decreased for most species, most likely corresponding with the start of breeding and nest initiation. Our findings could be useful as baseline information for future studies of climate change, may have implications for the management of the aboriginal spring hunt, and also might be used to mitigate the effects of military flying activity.

Factors that influence individual and colony spacing are still not well understood in many organisms. Common eiders (Somateria mollissima (L. 1758)) nest on coastal islands and forage in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters. We considered several biotic and abiotic factors, their interactions, and how these might influence the distribution of eider col- onies at several spatial scales in Labrador, Canada. At the island level, nest abundance was not related to intertidal prey density. At the 104 km 2 grid scale, eider nest abundance and the coefficient of dispersion (CD; the variance to mean ratio of colony size or grid cell, where CD indicates population dispersion) were negatively related to the number of islands. Spring ice cover was positively related to the number of islands but was negatively related to eider nest abundance and to CD. Ice cover - abundance and ice cover - CD were significant at two spatial scales (104 and 455 km 2 , respectively), but other relationships were weaker at the larger spatial scale. We hypothesize that during the spring, archipelagos with many islands trap ice, providing terrestrial predators access to nesting islands by acting as bridges and that increased predation reduces habitat quality causing nesting eiders to disperse. Our findings suggest that eiders respond to landscape features, including ice cover, a feature that is being influenced by climate change. Resume ´ : Les facteurs qui influencent l'espacement des individus et des colonies restent encore mal connus chez de nom- breux organismes. Les eiders aduvet (Somateria mollissima (L. 1758)) nichent sur des oles cotieres et se nourrissent dans la region intertidale et les eaux peu profondes de la zone subtidale. Nous avons examineplusieurs facteurs biotiques et abiotiques et leurs interactions afin de voir comment ils peuvent influencer la repartition de colonies d'eiders adifferentes echelles spatiales au Labrador, Canada. Al'echelle des oles, la densitedes nids n'est pas relieeala densitedes proies de la zone intertidale. Al'echelle d'une grille de 104 km 2 , l'abondance des nids d'eiders et le coefficient de dispersion (CD

Spatial distribution, patchy environments, and population turnover have many fundamental implications for conservation ecology. Common eider ( Somateria mollissima L., 1758) population processes were investigated in Labrador, Canada, between 1998 and 2003. We predicted that local colonies would exhibit population turnover, that extinction would be negatively related to colony and patch size, that colonization would be negatively related to island isolation, and that intraspecific incidence–abundance relationships would be positive. We found that small colonies were prone to extinction, but patch size was not a significant predictor of extinction, nor was colonization related to isolation. The overall observed annual extinction and colonization rates were 0.11 ± 0.02 and 0.41 ± 0.06, respectively, and showed variation across archipelagos. At two spatial scales we found that mean colony size was a positive predictor of island occupancy (incidence), and these relationships were maintained across years. Our findings show that common eider colonies in Labrador are dynamic and have greater turnover rates than previously expected in a species that is considered highly philopatric. Our findings support the notion that highly mobile organisms such as migratory birds can exhibit characteristics associated with metapopulation processes.

Populations of several sea ducks are declining across their North American ranges (Sea Duck Joint Venture Management Board 2001), including populations of all 4 eider species (Somateria spp. and Polysticta steller; Kertell 1991, Stehn et al. 1993, Gratto-Trevor et al. 1998). Declines in common eider populations have been documented in Greenland, Hudson Bay, and Alaska (Robertson and Gilchrist 1998, Sudyam et al. 2000, Merkel 2004). Reasons behind these population decreases vary, and many are unclear. Factors identified as causing these declines include human disturbance, overharvesting, and climatic events (Robertson and Gilchrist 1998, Suydam et al. 2000, Merkel 2004). However, not all common eider populations in the north are decreasing; Christensen and Falk (2000) recently found evidence of population increase in an eider population in Northwest Greenland, while others have documented increases in Hudson Strait (Hipfner et al. 2001, Falardeau et al. 2003).

Recent data (1998–2003) collected during field surveys for nesting Common Eider (Somateria mollissima L.) along the Labrador coast have confirmed nesting by Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus L.) and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus Lesson), and suggest possible nesting by Caspian Terns (Sterna caspia Pallas). It appears that both Double-crested Cormorants and Caspian Terns have previously nested in Labrador, whereas nesting by the Black-headed Gull represents a recent range extension.

Nesting densities are often used to estimate breeding population size and with other measures of reproductive performance can be useful indicators of population status. These aspects of breeding biology often show considerable spatial and temporal variation. Between 2000 and 2003, we surveyed nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) on 172 islands in three archipelagos (Nain, Hopedale, Rigolet) on the Labrador coast. Rigolet was the largest archipelago (2834 km2) followed by Nain then Hopedale, and island density varied inversely with archipelago size. Overall means were: nest density 52.0 ± 141.9 (SD) nests/ha; nest initiation 12 June ± 12 days; clutch size 3.7 ± 1.2 eggs/nest; egg volume 98.8 ± 10.4 cm3; and clutch volume 392.3 ± 135.0 cm3. Rigolet had the highest average egg volumes and nest densities, the highest single island nest density of 1053 nests/ha, and the earliest average nest initiation date. We found significant differences in nest densities among archipelagos and across years; significant archipelago and year interactions were detected for nest initiation date and clutch size. Significant differences were found among individual islands for all response variables except egg volume. For egg volume, within-archipelago island differences were not significant, but between-archipelago differences were significant. Thus egg volume may be a useful diagnostic to identify population affiliation.

Integrating knowledge from across the natural and social sciences is necessary to effectively address societal tradeoffs between human use of biological diversity and its preservation. Collaborative processes can change the ways decision makers think about scientific evidence, enhance levels of mutual trust and credibility, and advance the conservation policy discourse. Canada has responsibility for a large fraction of some major ecosystems, such as boreal forests, Arctic tundra, wetlands, and temperate and Arctic oceans. Stressors to biological diversity within these ecosystems arise from activities of the country's resource-based economy, as well as external drivers of environmental change. Effective management is complicated by incongruence between ecological and political boundaries and conflicting perspectives on social and economic goals. Many knowledge gaps about stressors and their management might be reduced through targeted, timely research. We identify 40 questions that, if addressed or answered, would advance research that has a high probability of supporting development of effective policies and management strategies for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in Canada. A total of 396 candidate questions drawn from natural and social science disciplines were contributed by individuals with diverse organizational affiliations. These were collaboratively winnowed to 40 by our team of collaborators. The questions emphasize understanding ecosystems, the effects and mitigation of climate change, coordinating governance and management efforts across multiple jurisdictions, and examining relations between conservation policy and the social and economic well-being of Aboriginal peoples. The questions we identified provide potential links between evidence from the conservation sciences and formulation of policies for conservation and resource management. Our collaborative process of communication and engagement between scientists and decision makers for generating and prioritizing research questions at a national level could be a model for similar efforts beyond Canada. Generación de Preguntas de Investigación Prioritarias para Informar a las Políticas y Gestión de la Conservación a Nivel Nacional

The status, distribution, and nesting ecology of common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ) breeding in Labrador are not well known. This study is an initial effort to improve understanding of the nesting ecology of eiders on the Labrador coast, a zone of intergradation between the northern ( S. m. borealis ) and American ( S. m. dresseri ) subspecies of common eider. During 1998 and 1999, 187 islands were surveyed for nesting eiders at four sites (from north to south: Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, St. Peter’s Bay) along 750 km of the coast. Nest initiation dates (calculated by candling eggs) ranged over a four- to five-week period and were positively associated with latitude: the earliest mean initiation date (5 June) was in St. Peter’s Bay in the south and the latest (27 June) at Nain in the north. Mean clutch size ranged from 3.5 to 4.2 and varied by area and year; eiders nesting in Nain had the smallest clutches. In 1999, the highest nest density (49.8 nests/ha) was observed in Nain and the lowest (3.9 nests/ha) in Makkovik. In some cases, we used boat surveys to assess eider presence and absence and found it to be a reliable method; this search technique could be beneficial to researchers working in remote locations where operational costs are high.

Experienced observers from the community of Rigolet, Newfoundland and Labrador, recorded marine mammal observations at Rigolet on the coast of Labrador from July to September 2012. During this study, a total of nine species of marine mammals were documented. A daily average of 2.6 (range 1–5) marine mammal species were observed, with Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) and Common Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) being the most common. The area is thought to be regionally important for Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida) whelping; however, Ringed Seals were not observed in large numbers. Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were also reported anecdotally, but were less common than the other species, with the possible exception of the Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Labrador is experiencing significant industrial growth related to hydroelectric development and offshore oil and gas exploration. These data should aid environmental assessment and environmental effects monitoring and assist researchers in understanding regional marine mammal ecology, including species diversity, seasonal occurrence, and relative abundance.

Erratum to: Environmental ManagementDOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9939-xFollowing the review of the online version of this paper, itwas felt by the authors that additional clarification wasrequired on two important points.First, in the section on Anthropogenic Disturbance(paragraph two, sentence two), it is more accurate to saythat these effects include interrupted staging (i.e., frightand flight), stress, and in some cases, nest abandonment.Second, in the section addressing Cultural Norms (col-umn two, paragraph one), it is more accurate to say thateggs that float tend to have more trapped gases, therebycontributing to increased buoyancy.Last, there were two errors in referencing. The first isfound in the section on Biophysical Factors (column two,paragraph one) where Chaulk and Roberts 2004 is cited.The correct reference is Chaulk and others (2004) and thecorrect bibliographic reference isChaulk KG, Robertson GJ, Montevecchi WA (2004)Regional and annual variability in common eidernestingecologyinLabrador.PolarRes23(2):121–130.The second error, found in the sections on BiophysicalFactors (first paragraph) and Anthropogenic Disturbances(first paragraph), is Williams (1997). This reference shouldread Williamson (1997) and the correct bibliographicalreference isWilliamson T (1997) From sina to sikujaluk: ourfootprints. Mapping Inuit environmental knowledgein the Nain district of Northern Labrador. Reportprepared for the Labrador Inuit Association. Nain,Labrador.

Aerial surveys for adult male Common Eiders, Somateria mollissima, were flown on the Labrador coast during June 2006. This information was then compared with aerial counts of adult male Common Eiders collected in 1980 and 1994. For each survey year, data were grouped and paired by coastal block and were analyzed for population trends. Overall, the observed counts of adult male Common Eiders increased by 244% between 1980 and 2006. Much of this increase seemed to occur in the southern region of the study area.

Twenty-three Black Bears (Ursus americanus) were captured, 20 were measured, marked and/or radio collared, in northeastern Labrador, between 1996 and 1997. Bears used sea ice for travel, coastal islands for denning, hunted adult Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), and were the possible cause of Moose (Alces alces) calf mortality. Body sizes were small, median weight of adult females was 48 kg, and the sex ratio for captured subjects was 1:1. Four of six radio-collared females gave birth during the winter of 1997, female reproductive histories suggest delayed sexual maturity. Den entry occurred between October and December 1996; spring emergence occurred between April and May 1997, with estimated denning period ranging from 148-222 days. Visual observations of habitat use by radio collared subjects (n = 10) were not tested statistically but suggest that barren areas are used nearly as much as forest. Location data from three GPS collars deployed on three adult females were analysed using Chi-square goodness-of-fit test with Bonferroni correction; two females appeared to prefer forest habitats (p < 0.05).