Long-term monitoring of Arctic birds at the East Bay Island Field Station, within the Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 1996–2023

Northern common eider ducks ( Somateria mollissima borealis, Linnaeus, 1758) are harvested throughout their range and represent an important resource of eggs, meat, and feather down. In the 1990s, there was growing Indigenous and international concern that eiders nesting in Arctic Canada were in decline. In response, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) established a field station on a small uninhabited island in East Bay, Southampton Island (64°01′N, 81°47′W), with the intention of developing a long-term study of eider demography that could inform harvest management. Throughout the nearly three-decade duration of the East Bay Island Field Station, field logistics revolved around regional sea ice conditions and how to maintain reliable transportation and access to the island. Despite these challenges, the gradual improvement of the field station facilitated a growing breadth of research as new issues emerged, many of which were unforeseen. Here, we provide an overview of the 28 years of research, including studies on the impacts of harvest, avian disease, contaminant levels and parasitology, details of bird migration, ecological trade-offs, and predator-prey dynamics. The breadth of these research topics reflects the diversity of expertise contributed by numerous university collaborators and graduate students, as well as Inuit ingenuity and Indigenous ecological knowledge that contributed to all stages of the research program.

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Publication Details

Journal
Arctic Science
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2025-0040
Primary Topic
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Long-term monitoring of Arctic birds at the East Bay Island Field Station, within the Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 1996–2023

E. Isabel Buttler, Anders Mosbech, Evan S. Richardson, Flemming Ravn Merkel et al.
Arctic Science
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
article

Long-term monitoring of Arctic birds at the East Bay Island Field Station, within the Qaqsauqtuuq Migratory Bird Sanctuary, 1996–2023

E. Isabel Buttler, Anders Mosbech, Evan S. Richardson, Flemming Ravn Merkel, Sébastien Descamps, Catherine Soos, H. Grant Gilchrist, Mark R. Forbes, Paul A. Smith, Oliver P. Love, Nik Clyde, Frankie Jean‐Gagnon, Christina A. D. Semeniuk, Joël Bêty, Dominique Henri, Holly L. Hennin, Christian Sonne, Josiah Nakoolak, Pierre Legagneux, Mark Wayland, Michael Janssen, Christie Macdonald, Karel A. Allard, Jennifer F. Provencher
article en

Abstract

Northern common eider ducks ( Somateria mollissima borealis, Linnaeus, 1758) are harvested throughout their range and represent an important resource of eggs, meat, and feather down. In the 1990s, there was growing Indigenous and international concern that eiders nesting in Arctic Canada were in decline. In response, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) established a field station on a small uninhabited island in East Bay, Southampton Island (64°01′N, 81°47′W), with the intention of developing a long-term study of eider demography that could inform harvest management. Throughout the nearly three-decade duration of the East Bay Island Field Station, field logistics revolved around regional sea ice conditions and how to maintain reliable transportation and access to the island. Despite these challenges, the gradual improvement of the field station facilitated a growing breadth of research as new issues emerged, many of which were unforeseen. Here, we provide an overview of the 28 years of research, including studies on the impacts of harvest, avian disease, contaminant levels and parasitology, details of bird migration, ecological trade-offs, and predator-prey dynamics. The breadth of these research topics reflects the diversity of expertise contributed by numerous university collaborators and graduate students, as well as Inuit ingenuity and Indigenous ecological knowledge that contributed to all stages of the research program.

Arctic ScienceVol. 11
Parks Canada (CA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA), Université du Québec à Rimouski (CA), Aarhus University (DK), Central Denmark Region (DK), Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (CA), Grønlands Naturinstitut (GL), Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (CA), Université Laval (CA), Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, Nature Conservancy of Canada (CA), Carleton University (CA), University of Windsor (CA), Norwegian Polar Institute (NO)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 76%
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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