Movements of three alcid species breeding sympatrically in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Among seabirds, alcids are particularly sensitive to bycatch in fisheries and oil pollution, yet their distribution at sea remains scarcely known in most of their breeding areas. GPS telemetry data of fifteen individuals of alcids (5 Razorbills 6 Common Murres and 4 Puffins) were analyzed to determine their distribution during the breeding period of 2016 at Saint Pierre and Miquelon Archipelago (SPM). Two analytical methods (threshold and a switching state-space model) were used to identify behavioral modes and foraging areas. We compared foraging movements and estimated the overlap between the species. Distribution and foraging covered an area located between SPM and Newfoundland. Our results revealed that the three species headed northward of their breeding colony, targeting coastal waters. Nonetheless, the three species differed in their habitat distribution as well as in their space-use sharing. There was limited overlap between the foraging zones of the three species and a gillnet fishery targeting Atlantic salmon. Identifying alcids habitat use is imperative to the successful management and survival of these marine species especially since the distribution areas coincide with fishing pressure.