Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Expert opinion on American common eiders in eastern North America: international information needs for future conservation

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Socio-Ecological Practice Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

After successful conservation and management efforts throughout much of the twentieth century that led to the recovery of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) breeding in several jurisdictions in eastern North America, their abundance has declined in recent years, probably linked to various environmental stressors. To evaluate where to focus future research and monitoring questions to conserve the American common eider (S. m. dresseri) subspecies, we sought expert opinions of researchers and practitioners across the subspecies range, using two approaches. First, a workshop was held to share current knowledge on status and threats to eiders in the many administrative jurisdictions of the subspecies’ range. Second, biologists (university, government and non-governmental researchers, and resource managers) who work with or are responsible for management of American common eiders were surveyed, to gather responses on status and stressors of the subspecies in each respondent’s jurisdiction. Based on these expert opinions, we assessed what stages of the eider’s annual cycle (breeding, post-breeding, migration, and wintering) should be prioritized for future research. This approach of gathering expert opinion was timely and appropriate because: (a) many experts are field personnel with a wealth of relevant experience and observations, but are not mandated to produce peer-reviewed manuscripts; and (b) existing monitoring programs may not capture all of the up-to-date information necessary to make informed management decisions. Experts recommend that further research and conservation tools be implemented particularly for the migration and wintering stages of the annual cycle. Eiders have a cultural significance to many Indigenous peoples, conservation organizations, and local hunters, and eiders are a key bioindicator of the health of marine ecosystems. Consequently, these findings will help the development of conservation and management tools to help improve our knowledge and aid recovery efforts for this important sea duck.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php

  2. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/m-7.01/FullText.html

  3. http://nawmp.wetlandnetwork.ca/joint-venture/

References

  • Allen RB (2000) Common eider assessment. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Augusta, ME, USA, p 57

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen RB, McAuley DG, Zimmerman GS (2019) Adult survival of common eiders in Maine. Northeast Nat 26:656–662

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison AB, Ballard JR, Tesh RB, Brown JD, Ruder MG, Keel MK, Munk BA, Mickley RM, Gibbs SEJ, Travassos Da Rosa APA, Ellis JC, Ip HS, Shearn-Bochsler VI, Rogers MB, Ghedin E, Holmes EC, Parrish CR, Dwyer C (2015) Cyclic avian mass mortality in the northeastern United States is associated with a novel orthomyxovirus. J Virol 10:1389–1403

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson D (2019) Seabird clues to ecosystem health. Science 365:116–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MG, Alisauskas RT, Batt BDJ, Blohm RJ, Higgins KF, Perry MC, Ringelman JK, Sedinger JS, Serie JR, Sharp DE, Trauger DL, Williams CK (2018) The migratory bird treaty and a century of waterfowl conservation: a century of waterfowl conservation. J Wildl Manage 82:247–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Ballard JR, Mickley R, Gibbs SEJ, Dwyer C, Soos C, Harms NJ, Gilchrist HG, Hall JS, Franson JC, Milton GR, Parsons G (2017) Prevalence and distribution of Wellfleet Bay Virus exposure in the common eider (Somateria mollissima). J Wildl Disease 53:81–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Balch WM, Drapeau DT, Bowler BC, Huntington TG (2012) Step-changes in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the Gulf of Maine, as documented by the GNATS time series. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 450:11–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Behrens V, Rauschmayer F, Wittmer H (2008) Managing international problem species: why pan-European cormorant management is so difficult. Environ Conserv 35:55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Beuth JM, McWilliams SR, Paton PW, Osenkowski JE (2017) Habitat use and movements of common eiders wintering in southern New England. J Wildl Manage 81:1276–1286

    Google Scholar 

  • Blinn BM, Diamond AW, Hamilton DJ (2008) Factors affecting selection of brood-rearing habitat by common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Waterbirds 31:520–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolduc F, Guillemette M (2003) Human disturbance and nesting success of common eiders: interaction between visitors and gulls. Biol Conserv 110:77–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman TD, Silverman EC, Gilliland SG, Leirness JB (2015) Status and trends of North American sea ducks: reinforcing the need for better monitoring. In: Derksen DV, Esler D, Eadie JM (eds) Savard J-PL. Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks. Studies in Avian Biology, CRC Press, New York, NY, pp 1–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown RGB, Gillespie DI, Lock AR, Pearce PA, Watson GH (1973) Bird mortality from oil slicks off eastern Canada February to April 1970. Can Field-Nat 87:225–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Calvert AM, Bishop CA, Elliot RD, Krebs EA, Kydd TM, Machtans CS, Robertson GJ (2013) A synthesis of human-related avian mortality in Canada. Avian Conserv Ecol 8:11

    Google Scholar 

  • Camphuysen CJ, Berrevoets CM, Cremers HJWM, Dekinga A, Dekker R, Ens BJ, van der Have TM, Kats RKH, Kuiken T, Leopold MA, van der Meer J (2002) Mass mortality of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in the Dutch Wadden Sea, winter 1999/2000: starvation in a commercially exploited wetland of international importance. Biol Conserv 106:303–317

    Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Wildlife Service Waterfowl Committee (2020) Population status of migratory game birds in Canada (November 2019) Can Wildl Ser Migratory Birds Reg Rep 52. Canada, Ottawa

  • Chardine J (2015) Common Eider. In: Stewart RLM, Bredin KA, Couturier AR, Horn AG, Lepage D, Makepeace S, Taylor PD, Villard MA, Whittam RM (eds) Second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritime Provinces. Environment Canada, Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island, Nature New Brunswick, New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia Bird Society, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Prince Edward Department of Agricultural and Forestry. Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, pp 120–121

  • Coulson JC (1984) The population dynamics of the eider duck Somateria mollissima and evidence of extensive non-breeding by adult ducks. Ibis 136:525–543

    Google Scholar 

  • Coulson JC (2010) A long-term study of the population dynamics of common eiders Somateria mollissima: why do several parameters fluctuate markedly? Bird Study 57:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Dallaire AD, Giroux JF (2005) Avian cholera in the St. Lawrence estuary in the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri). Can Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre Newsl 11:6–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Descamps S, Jenouvrier S, Gilchrist HG, Forbes MR (2012) Avian cholera, a threat to the viability of an Arctic seabird colony? PLoS ONE 7:e29659

    Google Scholar 

  • Desholm M, Kahlert J (2005) Avian collision risk at an offshore wind farm. Biol Lett 1:296–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Donehower CE, Bird DM (2008) Gull predation and breeding success of common eiders on Stratton Island, Maine. Waterbirds 31:454–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Drescher M, Perera AH, Johnson CJ, Buse LJ, Drew CA, Burgman MA (2013) Toward rigorous use of expert knowledge in ecological research. Ecosphere 4:1–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekroos J, Fox AD, Christensen TK, Petersen IK, Kilpi M, Jónsson JE, Green M, Laursen K, Cervencil A, De Boer P, Nilsson L (2012) Declines amongst breeding Eider Somateria mollissima numbers in the Baltic/Wadden Sea flyway. Ornis Fenn 89:81–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis JI, Wilhelm SI, Hedd A, Fraser GS, Robertson GJ, Rail J-F, Fowler M, Morgan KH (2013) Mortality of migratory birds from marine commercial fisheries and offshore oil and gas production in Canada. Avian Conserv Ecol 8:4

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmberg J, Nummi P, Pöysä H, Sjöberg K, Gunnarsson G, Clausen P, Guillemain M, Rodrigues D, Väänänen VM (2006) The scientific basis for new and sustainable management of migratory European ducks. Wildl Biol 12:121–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Engel FG, Alegria J, Andriana R, Donadi S, Gusmao JB, van Leeuwe MA, Matthiessen B, Eriksso BK (2017) Mussel beds are biological power stations on intertidal flats. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 191:21–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Fegley JC (2001) Ecological implications of rockweed Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis, harvesting. PhD thesis, University of Maine, Orono, ME. 215 pp

  • Furness RW, Wade HM, Masden EA (2013) Assessing vulnerability of marine bird populations to offshore wind farms. J Environ Manage 119:56–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadgil M, Berkes F, Folke C (1993) Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Ambio 22:151–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehrels WR, Belknap DF, Black S, Newnham RM (2002) Rapid sea-level rise in the Gulf of Maine, USA, since AD 1800. Holocene 12:383–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilchrist HG, Mallory ML, Merkel FR (2005) Can traditional ecological knowledge contribute to wildlife management? Case studies of migratory birds. Ecol Soc 10:20

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliland SG (2019) Where have all the eiders gone? Plenary session on climate change. 8th North American Duck Symposium, Winnipeg, MB.

  • Gilliland SG, Robertson GJ (2009) Composition of eiders harvested in Newfoundland. Northeast Nat 16:501–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliland SG, Gilchrist HG, Rockwell RF, Robertson GJ, Savard JPL, Merkel F, Mosbech A (2009) Evaluating the sustainability of harvest among northern common eiders Somateria mollissima borealis in Greenland and Canada. Wildl Biol 15:24–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliland SG, Alisauskas RT, Robinson SMC, Kehoe FP, Connor K, Hicklin PW, Ankney CD (2017) Some hypotheses behind and apparently collapsing population of common eiders in SW New Brunswick. 6th International Sea Duck Conference, San Francisco, CA.

  • Giroux J-F, Patenaude-Monette M, Gilliland SG, Milton GR, Parsons GJ, Gloutney ML, Mehl KR, Allen RB, McAuley DG, Reed ET, McLellan NR (2021) Estimating population growth and recruitment rates across the range of American common eiders. J Wildl Manage (in review)

  • Goodale MW, Milman A, Griffin CR (2019) Assessing the cumulative adverse effects of offshore wind energy development on seabird foraging guilds along the East Coast of the United States. Environ Res Lett 14:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudie RI, Robertson GJ, Reed A (2020) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), version 1.0. In: Billerman SM (ed) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.

  • Greene CH (2016) North America’s iconic marine species at risk due to unprecedented ocean warming. Oceanogr 29:14–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedd A, Regular PM, Wilhelm SI, Rail J-F, Drolet B, Fowler M, Pekarik C, Robertson GJ (2016) Characterization of seabird bycatch in eastern Canadian waters, 1998–2011, assessed from onboard fisheries observer data. Aquat Conserv Mar Fresh Ecosyst 26:530–548

    Google Scholar 

  • Heusmann HW, Trocki CL (2020) Expanded common eider (Somateria mollissima dresseri) breeding range in Massachusetts is likely the result of transplants. Wilson J Ornithol 132:176–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Hipfner JM, Blight LK, Lower RW, Wilhelm SI, Robertson GJ, Barrett RT, Anker-Nilssen T, Good TP (2012) Unintended consequences: how the recovery of sea eagle Haliaeetus spp. populations in the northern hemisphere is affecting seabirds. Mar Ornithol 40:39–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson SA, Gilchrist HG, Smith PA, Gaston AJ, Forbes MR (2014) Longer ice-free seasons increase the risk of nest depredation by polar bears for colonial breeding birds in the Canadian Arctic. Proc Roy Soc B 281:20133128

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson SA, Gilchrist HG, Soos C, Buttler II, Harms NJ, Forbes MR (2016) Injecting epidemiology into population viability analysis: avian cholera transmission dynamics at an arctic seabird colony. J Anim Ecol 85:1481–1490

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson FA, Boomer GS, Williams BK, Nichols JD, Case DJ (2015) Multilevel learning in the adaptive management of waterfowl harvests: 20 years and counting. Wildl Soc Bull 39:9–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Joint Working Group on the Management of the Common Eider (2004) Québec Management Plan for the Common Eider Somateria mollissima dresseri. A special publication of the Joint Working Group on the Management of the Common Eider, Québec, 44 pp.

  • Kurvinen L, Kilpi M, Nordström M, Öst M (2016) Drivers of decline and changed nest-site preference of the Baltic eider: an island-level analysis from south-western Finland. Ornis Fenn 93:55–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen JK, Guillemette M (2007) Effects of wind turbines on flight behaviour of wintering common eiders: implications for habitat use and collision risk. J Appl Ecol 44:516–522

    Google Scholar 

  • Laursen K, Møller AP (2014) Long-term changes in nutrients and mussel stocks are related to numbers of breeding eiders Somateria mollissima at a large Baltic colony. PLoS ONE 9:e95851

    Google Scholar 

  • Lepage C (2019) Common Eider. In: Robert M, Hachey MH, Lepage D, Couturier AR (eds) Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Southern Québec, Regroupement QuébecOiseaux. Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada) and Bird Studies Canada, Montréal, Québec, pp 126–127

  • Lesser MP (2016) Climate change stressors cause metabolic depression in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, from the Gulf of Maine. Limnol Oceanogr 61:1705–1717

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotze HK, Milewski I (2004) Two centuries of multiple human impacts and successive changes in a North Atlantic food web. Ecol Applic 14:1428–1447

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotze HK, Milewski I, Fast J, Kay L, Worm B (2019) Ecosystem-based management of seaweed harvesting. Bot Mar 62:395–409

    Google Scholar 

  • Mair J, Lockstone-Binney L, Whitelaw PA (2018) The motives and barriers of association conference attendance: Evidence from an Australasian tourism and hospitality academic conference. J Hospitality Tour Manage 34:58–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallory ML (2015) Site fidelity, breeding habitats, and the reproductive strategies of sea ducks. In: Derksen DV, Esler D, Eadie JM (eds) Savard J-PL. Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks. Studies in Avian Biology, CRC Press, New York, NY, pp 299–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallory ML, Robinson SA, Hebert CE, Forbes MR (2010) Seabirds as indicators of aquatic ecosystem conditions: a case for gathering multiple proxies of seabird health. Mar Pollut Bull 60:7–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallory ML, Ronconi RA, Allen RB, Dwyer C, Lair S, Mallory CD, McLellan NR, Milton GR, Parsons GJ, Savoy L, Tomlik MD (2020) Annual movement patterns of American common eiders (Somateria molllissima dresseri). Wildl Biol 2020:wlb.00665

  • Martin TE, Finch DM (1995) Ecology and management of neotropical migratory birds: a synthesis and review of critical issues. Oxford University Press, New York, p 512

    Google Scholar 

  • Masden EA, Haydon DT, Fox AD, Furness RW, Bullman R, Desholm M (2009) Barriers to movement: impacts of wind farms on migrating birds. J Marine Sci 66:746–753

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattsson BJ, Runge MC, Devries JH, Boomer GS, Eadie JM, Haukos DA, Fleskes JP, Koons DN, Thogmartin WE, Clark RG (2012) A modeling framework for integrated harvest and habitat management of North American waterfowl: case-study of northern pintail metapopulation dynamics. Ecol Model 225:146–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Mawhinney K, Diamond AW, Kehoe P, Benjamin N (1999) Status and productivity of common eiders in relation to great black-backed gulls and herring gulls in the southern Bay of Fundy and the northern Gulf of Maine. Waterbirds 22:253–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Meattey DE, Savoy L, Beuth J, Pau N, O’Brien K, Osenkowski J, Regan K, Lasorsa B, Johnson I (2014) Elevated mercury levels in a wintering population of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) in the northeastern United States. Mar Pollut Bull 86:229–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Merkel FR (2004) Impact of hunting and gillnet fishery on wintering eiders in Nuuk, Southwest Greenland. Waterbirds 27:469–479

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer-Gutbrod EL, Greene CH, Davies KT (2018) Marine species range shifts necessitate advanced policy planning: The case of the North Atlantic right whale. Oceanogr 31:19–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Milton GR, Iverson SA, Smith PA, Tomlik MD, Parsons GJ, Mallory ML (2016) Sex-specific survival of adult common eiders in Nova Scotia, Canada. J Wildl Manage 80:1427–1436

    Google Scholar 

  • Musacchio LR, Coulson RN (2001) Landscape ecological planning process for wetland, waterfowl, and farmland conservation. Landscape Urban Plan 56:125–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols JD, Johnson FA, Williams BK (1995) Managing North American waterfowl in the face of uncertainty. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 26:177–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Olin PG, Smith J, Nabi R (2011) Regional review on status and trends in aquaculture development in North America: Canada and the United States of America—2010. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular I, III, IV, 1–7, 9–57, 59–71, 73–77, 79–84.

  • Peloquin C, Berkes F (2009) Local knowledge, subsistence harvests, and social–ecological complexity in James Bay. Human Ecol 37:533–545

    Google Scholar 

  • Pershing AJ, Alexander MA, Hernandez CM, Kerr LA, Le Bris A, Mills KE, Nye JA, Record NR, Scannell HA, Scott JD, Sherwood GD (2015) Slow adaptation in the face of rapid warming leads to collapse of the Gulf of Maine cod fishery. Science 350:809–812

    Google Scholar 

  • Petersen MR, Earned WW, Douglas DC (1999) At-sea distribution of spectacled eiders: a 120-year-old mystery resolved. Auk 116:1009–1020

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratte I, Tomlik MD, Betsch TA, Braune BM, Milton GR, Mallory ML (2015) Trace elements in eggs of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) breeding in Nova Scotia, Canada. Mar Pollut Bull 100:586–591

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson GJ, Gilchrist HG (1998) Evidence of population declines among common eiders breeding in the Belcher Islands, Northwest Territories. Arctic 51:378–385

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg KV, Dokter AM, Blancher PJ, Sauer JR, Smith AC, Smith PA, Stanton JC, Panjabi A, Helft L, Parr M, Marra PP (2019) Decline of the North American avifauna. Science 366:120–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed A (1975) Migration, homing, and mortality of breeding female eiders Somateria mollissima dresseri of the St. Lawrence estuary. Quebec Ornis Scand 6:41–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed A (1986) Eider ducks in Canada. Canadian Wildlife Service Report Series 47. Ottawa, Canada.

  • Rothe TC, Padding PI, Naves LC, Robertson GJ (2015) Harvest of sea ducks in North America: a contemporary summary. In: Derksen DV, Esler D, Eadie JM (eds) Savard J-PL. Ecology and conservation of North American sea ducks. Studies in Avian Biology, CRC Press, New York, NY, pp 417–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Savard J-PL, Lepage C (2013) Common eider dresseri. In: Lepage C, Bordage (eds) Status of Quebec Waterfowl Populations, 2009. Can Wildl Serv Tech Rep Ser 525:146–150.

  • Savard J-PL, Lesage L, Gilliland SG, Gilchrist HG, Giroux JF (2011) Molting, staging, and wintering locations of common eiders breeding in the Gyrfalcon Archipelago, Ungava Bay. Arctic 64:197–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Sea Duck Joint Venture (2015) Species status summary and information needs. Sea Duck Joint Venture, Anchorage, Alaska. https://seaduckjv.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/AM-COEI-status-March-2015-FINAL.pdf

  • Sojda RS (2007) Empirical evaluation of decision support systems: needs, definitions, potential methods, and an example pertaining to waterfowl management. Environ Model Soft 22:269–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorte CJ, Davidson VE, Franklin MC, Benes KM, Doellman MM, Etter RJ, Hannigan RE, Lubchenco J, Menge BA (2017) Long-term declines in an intertidal foundation species parallel shifts in community composition. Global Change Biol 23:341–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Sperduto MB, Powers SP, Donlan M (2003) Scaling restoration to achieve quantitative enhancement of loon, seaduck, and other seabird populations. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 264:221–232

    Google Scholar 

  • Staudinger MD, Mills KE, Stamieszkin K, Record NR, Hudak CA, Allyn A, Diamond A, Friedland KD, Golet W, Henderson ME, Hernandez CM (2019) It’s about time: a synthesis of changing phenology in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Fish Oceanogr 28:532–566

    Google Scholar 

  • Tjørnløv RS, Humaidan J, Frederiksen M (2013) Impacts of avian cholera on survival of common eiders Somateria mollissima in a Danish colony. Bird Study 60:321–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Tjørnløv RS, Pradel R, Choquet R, Christensen TK, Frederiksen M (2019) Consequences of past and present harvest management in a declining flyway population of common eiders Somateria mollissima. Ecol Evol 9:12515–12530

    Google Scholar 

  • Tulloch AI, Possingham HP, Joseph LN, Szabo J, Martin TG (2013) Realising the full potential of citizen science monitoring programs. Biol Conserv 165:128–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Varennes É, Hanssen SA, Bonardelli J, Guillemette M (2013) Sea duck predation in mussel farms: the best nets for excluding common eiders safely and efficiently. Aquacult Environ Interact 4:31–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Wakeley JS, Mendall HL (1976) Migrational homing and survival of adult femaleeiders in Maine. J Wildl Manage 40:15–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Waltho C, Coulson JC (2015) The common eider. T & AD Poyser, London, UK, p 352

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams BK, Koneff MD, Smith DA (1999) Evaluation of waterfowl conservation under the North American waterfowl management plan. J Wildl Manage 63:417–440

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood KA, Thorstensen S, Lúðvíksson SJ, Brides K, Petersen A (2020) Long-term trends in the survival rates of adult female common eider Somateria mollissima at three colonies in Iceland. Int J Avian Sci. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12893

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the Sea Duck Joint Venture for providing funding to support the workshop and manuscript preparation and Ducks Unlimited Canada for technical assistance with the online survey. K. Noel was supported by an Irving Environmental Graduate Scholarship at Acadia University. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the US Fish and Wildlife Service or other respective agencies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Acadia University, 33 Westwood Drive, Wolfville, NS, B4N 3J2, Canada

    Kristen Noel & Mark L. Mallory

  2. Ducks Unlimited Canada, Atlantic Region, 64 Hwy 6, Amherst, NS, B4H 3Z5, Canada

    Nic McLellan

  3. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 17 Waterfowl Lane, Sackville, NB, E4L 1G6, Canada

    Scott Gilliland, Karel A. Allard, Matthew D. English & Alan Hanson

  4. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Bangor, ME, USA

    Brad Allen & Kelsey Sullivan

  5. Département Des Sciences, Université Sainte-Anne, Church Point, NS, B0W 1M0, Canada

    Shawn Craik

  6. Office National de La Chasse Et de La Faune Sauvage, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, France

    Anaïs Demagny

  7. Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada

    Antony Diamond

  8. Département Des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec À Montréal, P. O. Box 8888, Stn Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Jean-François Giroux

  9. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd, Westborough, MA, 01581, USA

    H. W. Heusmann

  10. Nature Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 1013, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5M3, Canada

    Laura E. King

  11. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ave D’Estimauville, Québec City, QC, G1J 0C3, Canada

    Christine Lepage

  12. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 5050, Saint John, NB, E2L 4L5, Canada

    Heather Major

  13. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, US Geological Survey, 69 Grove St. Extension, Orono, ME, 04469-5784, USA

    Daniel McAuley

  14. Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, USA

    Dustin E. Meattey & Lucas Savoy

  15. Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, 136 Exhibition Street, Kentville, NS, B4N 4E5, Canada

    G. Randy Milton

  16. Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia

    G. Randy Milton

  17. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI, 02908, USA

    Jay Osenkowski

  18. Division of Migratory Bird Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 11510 American Holly Dr, Laurel, MD, 20708, USA

    Anthony Roberts

  19. Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NF, A1N 4T3, Canada

    Gregory J. Robertson

  20. Parks Canada, 1340 de la Digue Street, Havre-Saint-Pierre, QC, G0G 1P0, Canada

    Marie-Claude Roy

Authors
  1. Kristen Noel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nic McLellan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Scott Gilliland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Karel A. Allard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brad Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Shawn Craik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Anaïs Demagny
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Matthew D. English
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Antony Diamond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jean-François Giroux
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Alan Hanson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. H. W. Heusmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Laura E. King
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Christine Lepage
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Heather Major
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Daniel McAuley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Dustin E. Meattey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. G. Randy Milton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  19. Jay Osenkowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  20. Anthony Roberts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  21. Gregory J. Robertson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  22. Marie-Claude Roy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  23. Lucas Savoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  24. Kelsey Sullivan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  25. Mark L. Mallory
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark L. Mallory.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Noel, K., McLellan, N., Gilliland, S. et al. Expert opinion on American common eiders in eastern North America: international information needs for future conservation. Socio Ecol Pract Res 3, 153–166 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00083-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-021-00083-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation