Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

12 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

13 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

14 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

14 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

14 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

17 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

1 day ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

1 day ago

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

2 days ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

2 days ago
Puffins Fill up Nesting Islands This Year Despite Challenges
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
August 5, 2019

Share

PORTLAND, Maine — One of the most beloved birds in Maine is having one of its most productive seasons for mating pairs in years on remote islands off the state’s coast.
Atlantic puffins, with their colorful beaks and waddling walks, are one of New England’s best recognized seabirds. Maine is the only state in the U.S. where the birds breed, and they do so on hard-to-reach places like Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge in the Gulf of Maine, a body of water that touches New England and Canada.
The birds are well on their way to setting a record for the number of breeding pairs, said National Audubon Society scientist Stephen Kress, who has studied the birds for years. Kress said nearly 750 pairs nested on Seal Island and Eastern Egg Rock in 2018, and this year’s number will likely be higher.
The birds are thriving due to multiple factors, including an abundance of the type of fish they’re best suited to eat, such as young haddock and hake and herring. In some previous years, the birds have suffered because those fish were less available, replaced by fish that are more difficult for them to digest. The appearance of the more ideal fish could have to do with the Gulf of Maine running somewhat cool recently.

Atlantic Puffins Listed as Vulnerable

A lot of puffins also laid eggs slightly early this year, which suggests the parents are in good condition, Kress said. He cautioned that the birds’ breeding success has fluctuated in the past, so this year’s good news might not be evidence of a long-term trend.

“This is a good year. But I think the message really is this — in recent years, especially since the big heat wave of ’12 and ’13, we’ve seen a pattern of good year alternating with not so good year.” — National Audubon Society scientist Stephen Kress
“This is a good year. But I think the message really is this — in recent years, especially since the big heat wave of ’12 and ’13, we’ve seen a pattern of good year alternating with not so good year,” Kress said. “We’re very much in a system of a roller coaster as far as the puffins go.”
Atlantic puffins are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and they number about 1,300 pairs in Maine. The birds live on both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean, and face threats such as warming ocean temperatures, fluctuations in food availability and predators.
The largest puffin colony in the Gulf of Maine is on Machias Seal Island, a disputed island on the U.S.-Canada water border that is home to 5,000 to 6,000 pairs. Those birds are also having a successful year, said Heather Major, associate professor in the biological sciences department at the University of New Brunswick in Canada.

Fishermen Sue to Overturn Creation of Monument

The birds can suffer when waters warm and squid and butterfish, which aren’t good puffin food, dominate local waters, Major said. But the Gulf of Maine is a little cooler than last year, and good prey has been abundant, she said. The island is around its long-term average of 56% of eggs producing a successful chick, Major said.
“There were lots of puffins around this year,” she said. “This year it seems more stable.”
The puffins of Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge are the subject of a popular “puffin cam” hosted by Explore.org, said Keenan Yakola, Seal Island supervisor for Audubon, who helps maintain the camera.
Environmental groups have made the case recently that Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, which former President Barack Obama designated in 2016, is important to the survival of the puffins. Fishermen have sued to overturn the creation of the monument, which they believe creates an unfair hardship in the form of fishing restrictions.
But Audubon and other environmental groups have said the monument, which creates a protected area off New England, provides birds with a reliable food source.
“Having that area that they are known to use in a protected condition is certainly a plus for the puffins,” said Peter Shelley, senior counsel with Conservation Law Foundation.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

DON'T MISS

Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown

DON'T MISS

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

DON'T MISS

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

DON'T MISS

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

DON'T MISS

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

DON'T MISS

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

UP NEXT

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

UP NEXT

Fresno County’s New Breeding Ordinance Could Shut Down 50 Operations

UP NEXT

Clovis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison in Deadly Fentanyl Case

UP NEXT

Victims Identified as Death Toll Climbs to 8 in Lake Tahoe Boating Tragedy

UP NEXT

Florida to Build ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center for Migrants in Everglades

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

9 hours ago

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

12 hours ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

12 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

13 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

14 hours ago

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

14 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

14 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

14 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

14 hours ago

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

14 hours ago

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency has sent staff to the agency that enforces federal gun laws with the goal of revis...

8 hours ago

American Flag Revolver
8 hours ago

Trump Sends in DOGE to Slash Federal Gun Regulations by July 4

Rob_Bonta_Speaking_At_Press_Conference_1280x720
9 hours ago

Tensions Flare at Announcement of Major Fresno County Gang Takedown

Garry_Bredefeld_Sandra_Celedon_Mesure_C_1280x720
9 hours ago

Measure C ‘Blackmailed’ As Fresno Enviro Coalition Gets Huge Say on Transportation Tax

Fresno_Unified_Raises_1280x720
9 hours ago

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

Eastern Market in Washington, D.C.
12 hours ago

US Consumer Spending Falls as Trump Tariff’s Muddle Economy

Obamacare Sign in San Ysidro, California
12 hours ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

Pride Flags Fly in New York
13 hours ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

14 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend