Recovery Monitoring of Pigeon Guillemot Populations in Prince William Sound,Alaska. Restoration Project 94173. EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill Restoration Project Final Report

摘要

The population of pigeon guillemots in Prince William Sound decreased from about15,000 (1970's) to about 5,000 (present). Some local populations were affected by the U/V Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, but there is evidence suggesting the Sound-wide population was already declining. Predation was the cause of numerous nesting failures. Abandonment of eggs was also high. Changes in the relative proportions of benthic and schooling fish in the diet of guillemot chicks might represent a key change in the ecosystem that is affecting other species of marine birds and mammals in the Sound.