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Adult ivory gull with leg bands. Photo © Vegard Bang Fjeldheim

More ivory gulls in Svalbard than previously estimated, but population trends are negative

Recent surveys show that the population of ivory gulls in Svalbard is larger than previously assumed, but long-time monitoring of selected colonies reveals a negative population trend.
Measuring head size in Atlantic puffins at Anda. Photo © Magdalene Langset

2020 – the worst breeding season ever for Norwegian seabirds

SEAPOP’s summary of the seabird monitoring in 2020 is a cause of growing concern for Norwegian seabird populations.
Adult razorbill. Photo © Tycho Anker-Nilssen

Seabirds ring the alarm

The ongoing decrease in seabird breeding success signals the need for management actions to protect the marine ecosystems and reduce the effect of climate change.
Puffin with herring larvae. Photo © Tycho Anker-Nilssen

Seabirds consume higher proportions of fish stocks when prey abundance is low

This study signals the need for fisheries management to account for ecosystem constraints when setting catch limits in periods of low forage fish biomass.
Puffin with haddock. Photo © Tycho Anker-Nilssen

GPS-tracking of chick-rearing puffins reveals causes of population decline

Reduced availability of key prey forces adult puffins to fly further from their colonies to find food. Meanwhile, their chicks starve at the nests.

The SEAPOP web site is being moved

Apologies for unexpected time offline while moving to a new server.

Little auk studies improve our insight into the pathways and spreading of methylmercury

Tracking little auks outside the breeding season provides new knowledge about sources and pathways of mercury in nature.

Feathers reveal mercury contamination in alcids in the Arctic

More than a quarter of the individual auks in which mercury levels were measured outside the breeding season exceeded the toxicity threshold.  

Kittiwakes find refuge on offshore oil rigs

Why is their chick production superior to that of kittiwakes breeding on land?

Seabird experts in CAFF propose a new kittiwake conservation plan

A presentation of initiatives to protect all kittiwake populations in the Arctic.

Seabirds and kelp harvest – conflict or harmony?

Foraging shags and commercial kelp harvesters very often utilize the same marine areas.

Seabird bycatch in lumpsucker fisheries can pose a threat to vulnerable populations

A study reveals comprehensive seabird bycatch in lumpsucker gillnets, but also large differences between Denmark, Iceland and Norway in the number of birds caught per fishing trip.

The SEAPOP key-site report is out

Yet another alarming year for Norwegian seabirds: nearly half of the populations declined since 2018, and one third produced poorly.

Arctic sea ice melting may overturn seabird migration strategies

Little auks crossing the ice-free Arctic will reduce migration costs by half compared to following their current migration paths across the North Atlantic.

Acute incidents seriously threaten seabird populations already under pressure

Seabirds that are already under pressure because of climatic change become more vulnerable when exposed to additional man-made incidents leading to acute population declines.

Common eiders are scared by boats

The disturbance effect of recreational boat driving may be considerable for moulting eiders.

Happy New Year!

Puffins and razorbills choose different strategies in harsh winter conditions

Puffins change their diet while razorbills seek out new foraging areas.

Arrival at breeding sites is advancing among common and Brünnich’s guillemots

Time spent in the colony prior to egg-laying is increasing for both common and Brünnich’s guillemots.

Foraging behaviour in black-legged kittiwakes is predicted by personality

More specialized foraging behaviour in bold black-legged kittiwakes.

Workshop on plastic in seabirds

Large amounts of plastic are adrift in the sea. Most of it is microplastic, some of which often ends up in seabird stomachs. A group of researchers met in Tromsø recently to discuss how to best monitor the amounts of plastic in birds. According to their report from the workshop, samples of regurgitation and faeces will be of interest if such monitoring were to be implemented.

Successful SEATRACK workshop

Gathered 35 participants from about 30 different institutions around the North Atlantic.

Winter extratropical cyclones cause reduced eider survival

An increase in extreme weather events is probably bad news for common eiders.

Arctic seabirds respond differently to an earlier spring

Some arctic seabirds start their breeding season earlier now than they did 35 years ago.

Nesting European shags profit from readily accessible shoals of saithe.

Strong relations between breeding success, foraging behaviour and choice of prey among European shags.

Tourism and traffic near the breeding sites reduce seabird breeding success

According to a study from Hornøya, the effect varies among species.

The 2019 SEAPOP seminar is postponed

New dates in March 2020.

Well-timed hatching may increase chick survival rates

Synchronous hatching in seabird colonies increases the defensive power against specialized predators.

PhD on seabird migration patterns based on SEATRACK data

- With young scientists like Benjamin on the team, the future looks bright for seabird research.

Report from SEAPOP’s key sites in 2018

Presenting detailed estimates of the most important monitoring parameters from 14 locations.

Will scare seabirds from drowning

A new study reveals that between 4 000 and 8 000 seabirds probably drown each year in connection with the coastal gillnet-fisheries in Norway. Researchers suggest scaring the birds as a possible measure for reducing the number of deaths.

SEATRACK moves into a second phase

SEATRACK plans to include new colonies and to deploy GLS-loggers on juvenile birds to deliver data of even higher accuracy and quality.

The SEATRACK web app has been updated

Loggerdata from 2018 have been added to the SEATRACK web app.

New method for mapping the swimming migration in auks

An example of how data from geolocators can be used even when light conditions are too poor to calculate positions.

SEAPOP web site now in English

And you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

First estimates of body mass change between the breeding and wintering stages in Atlantic Puffins

Presents critical information for improving predictions of the effects of extreme weather events on the species.

The concentration of contaminants in great skuas is determined mainly by choice of prey

New research reveals that diet specialization in Arctic seabirds is more important for exposure to contaminants than wintering area or long-range transport.

Climate change threatens the kittiwake – extreme weather and altered prey availability reduce recruitment

Bad weather is bad news, also for the red-listed kittiwake. New research reveals that wind conditions combined with the availability of different prey species are determinants of chick production in this seabird.

A warmer ocean is bad news for eiders

Higher ocean temperatures in the north are not good for everyone. For common eiders, the warming causes decreasing populations.

Light loggers and stable isotopes contribute to identify moult locations

Light loggers used in combination with stable isotopes help us determine when and where moulting takes place.

Standardization and facilitation of seabird data for use in impact and environmental risk assessments

A new NINA report gives recommendation on how seabird data should best be used in impact and environmental risk assessments.

Surprising prey capture technique by little auk

A new study gives a visual insight into the little auks foraging behaviour.

Report from SEAPOPs key-sites in 2017

This year’s report from SEAPOP’s key-sites gives an overview of the 2017 breeding season.

Mass mortality events of seabirds can have massive effects on populations

Hundreds of dead puffins were found beached in southwest Norway in February-March 2016. This study revealed significant consequences for the populations involved.

Warmer oceans can result in breeding failure in seabirds

Have seabirds shifted their breeding season in response to climate change?

Great skua shows flexibility in foraging strategies

Tracking great skua by using GPS-loggers gives new insight in different foraging strategies.

Changes in kittiwake diet indicate Atlantification of the Arctic

Higher abundance of sub-arctic and Atlantic species in kittiwakes’ diet supporting the hypothesis of “Atlantification” of the Arctic.

An open mini-seminar about the SEATRACK project

Where do Northeast Atlantic seabird populations overwinter? Save the date: 19.mars.

Unusual evolutionary development in Leach’s storm petrels

Separate breeding periods may have developed genetically different species over time. The phenomenon is called ‘allochrony’.

The European shag diet can predict recruitment levels of northeast Arctic saithe

The frequency of occurrence of 1-yr old saithe in shag diet gives the scientist an opportunity to predict future levels of recruitment of young saithe into the adult population.

Flexibility in the foraging behaviour of the kittiwake may buffer the effect of marine environmental changes

Through its ability to adapt, the kittiwake may be robust to changes in the marine environment, but sufficient foraging grounds near the colonies are a necessity.

The little auk cannot escape the climate threat

If the temperature in the Arctic continues to rise, the little auk’s prey species will disappear and its existence will be threatened. This is despite the flexible foraging strategy of this little giant.

The northern gannet is becoming a polar species

Northward dispersion is associated with climate change.

Puffin migration patterns suggest that competition and food availability in winter affect breeding success

Long migration routes and wintering far north are evident drawbacks.

A warmer ocean lowers kittiwake egg production

Crucial prey species for black-legged kittiwakes are driven northwards as sea temperatures rise.

European shags choose shallow waters

And the males dive deeper than the females in search of food, according to new research comparing foraging behaviour of shags in two Norwegian colonies.

Alterations in algal bloom patterns in the Arctic may cause problems for seabirds

Annual blooms of phytoplankton form the base of the energy production in the Arctic, and are tightly associated with sea ice. But in a warming climate, the melting of sea ice increases, and the timing of algae production is changing. What are the consequences for the seabirds?

Competition between fisheries and seabirds – how best study it?

Seabirds are very sensitive to changes in abundance and size of prey, such as fish and crustaceans. But how well do we know if the fishing industry is competing with our seabird populations? And how does one assess the magnitude of competition between seabirds and the fishing industry?

Kittiwake breeding success influences timing of winter migration

But not in all colonies – North-Norwegian and Arctic populations stand out, according to new research on carry-over effects.

Sudden climatic changes affect birds most

The warming of the ocean has, in itself, a minor effect – it is the speed of warming that has significance for the seabirds.