Seabird density and predation on Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in Allen Bay in 2010 ...

Seabirds feed heavily on Arctic cod Boreogadus saida during the summer in the Canadian Arctic but little is known of the interactions among birds while foraging and the factors that drive feeding behaviour. The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between seabirds and Arctic cod...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matley, Jordan K, Fisk, Aaron T, Dick, Terry A
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: PANGAEA 2012
Subjects:
IPY
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.816022
https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.816022
Description
Summary:Seabirds feed heavily on Arctic cod Boreogadus saida during the summer in the Canadian Arctic but little is known of the interactions among birds while foraging and the factors that drive feeding behaviour. The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between seabirds and Arctic cod in a productive feeding area distant from breeding colonies. Transect surveys were completed using standardized count protocols to determine the density of seabirds in Allen Bay, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut. Shore-based observation sites determined seabird foraging behaviour associated with the presence of schools and environmental variables. The density of birds (156 bird/km**2) was high compared to that of other locations in the Canadian Arctic. Several bird species were more active early in the morning and with winds from the south, possibly due to an increase in Arctic cod feeding on zooplankton at the surface. Northern fulmars Fulmarus glacialis and black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla captured Arctic cod ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...