The April distribution of murres and prey patches in the southeastern Bering Sea1

• Published in: Limnology and Oceanography
• Main Author: Woodby, Douglas A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1984
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Oceanography; Bering Sea; Uria aalge; Uria lomvia; uria
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.1984.29.1.0181; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.1984.29.1.0181; https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1984.29.1.0181

Murres were abundant over the continental shelf and scarce over deep oceanic water in the southeastern Bering Sea during April 1978 and 1979. They occurred in scattered flocks and in patches averaging 26 birds·km ‒2 within a 300‐ × 450‐km area. Thick‐billed murres ( Uria lomvia ), the most common species, concentrated between shelfbreak and a middle front at the 100‐m isobath, where a trophically rich pelagic system supports shallow patches of fish and zooplankton. There were fewer murres inshore of the middle front, and these were mostly common murres ( Uria aalge ). The densest patches of fish and zooplankton in the study area were as long as 50 and 35 km. The distribution of murres was not closely tied to that of fish in either year and corresponded to zooplankton distribution in the second year only. Murres may be feeding where prey concentrations are low or minimal, and frequent storms interfere with feeding.