Survival and reproduction of Pacific common eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Project Number: 41

Year Funded: 2007

Lead Institution(s): University of Alaska Fairbanks

Project Lead: Abby Powell

Email:

Collaborator(s): Heather Wilson (UAF), USFWS, YDNWR, USGS, ASC

Location: Alaska

Focal Species: Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Project Description: Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) on the YukonKuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska declined by 50-90% from 1957 to 1992 and then stabilized at reduced numbers from the early 1990’s to the present. This study investigated the primary underlying processes affecting population dynamics of Pacific common eiders, with the goals of understanding factors that may have led to the observed decline and subsequent stabilization, and providing tools from which conservation, management, and recommendations for future research could be drawn. Analyses included data collected from 2002 to 2004, in addition to historical data collected from 1991 to 2001.