Department of Environmental Conservation

MS – Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation

Project:

Foraging ecology of Atlantic puffins in Maine

Contact:

smspe0smspe0(at)eco.umass.edu
Room 120 Agricultural Engineering Annex A

Support:

Science Support Partnership
Friends of Maine Seabird Islands
US Fish & Wildlife Service Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Massachusetts Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Paul R. Sievert

Project abstract:

The Gulf of Maine represents the southern extent of the breeding range of Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica). Atlantic puffins are listed as a threatened species in Maine, and are listed as a species of moderate concern by the Mid-Atlantic / New England Maritime planning effort. Puffins are likely to be highly sensitive to changes in habitat and prey availability resulting from global climate change. Managers are concerned that increasing sea surface temperatures and a significant increase in the commercial harvest of herring could ultimately threaten the viability puffins breeding in the United States. Despite recent growth in the population, it has become increasingly clear that prey availability and the birds’ ability to locate and capture prey will drive future population stability. Data generated by this research will provide the managers with information on where the puffins are traveling to forage and how they behave once they reach their foraging grounds. The main objectives of my research are to 1) describe foraging behavior 2) describe foraging locations during the breeding season, and 3) determine the effects of parental attendance, provisioning (i.e. food brought to chicks), and burrow characteristics on productivity of the puffin colony on Petit Manan Island.