Status of the American Eider with Special Reference to Northern New England

• Main Authors: Krohn, William B., Corr, Patrick O., Hutchinson, Alan E.
• Other Authors: MAINE COOPERATIVE FISHERY RESEARCH UNIT ORONO
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Biology; Ecology; *NEW ENGLAND; *DUCKS; UNITED STATES; COASTAL REGIONS; POPULATION; HABITATS; GEOGRAPHIC AREAS; ISLANDS; MAINE; ANIMAL MIGRATION; NESTING(ANIMALS); NEWFOUNDLAND(PROVINCE); *AMERICAN EIDER; SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA DRESSERI; WINTERING AREAS; CENTRAL LABRADOR; Newfoundland; Common Eider; Somateria mollissima
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA323377; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA323377

The American subspecies of the common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri), known as the American eider, nests primarily on coastal islands from central Labrador to southern Maine. Because banding recoveries revealed that groups that nest in different geographic areas use the same wintering areas, we propose managing this subspecies as one unit, termed the western Atlantic eider population. Our objectives here are to: 1. document the numbers of American eiders (S m. dresseri) nesting in coastal Maine, 1907-89; 2. document numbers harvested and wintering in the eastern United States, 1961-88; 3. assess factors potentially affecting American eiders in northern New England, including hunting and habitat changes; and 4. assess the adequacy of current data to manage this subspecies throughout its range.