Plenty of fish in the sea?

First

As the waters of the Gulf of Maine get warmer due to climate change, seabird species breeding on Machias Seal Island such as this Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) are finding it difficult to locate high-quality food to feed to their growing chicks. In addition to climate change, other human activities such as commercial fishing have dramatically reduced the number of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), the puffin's primary prey. Instead of energy-rich herring, this puffin was seen bringing back energy-poor larval fish and krill for its chick. The implications of these anthropogenic pressures on the Gulf of Maine seabird populations are largely unknown and the focus of my PhD research here at UNBSJ. Understanding how the populations are responding to these challenges is the first step in helping to conserve them into the future. As top predators, seabirds play an important role in the marine ecosystem and their population are highly visible as compared to aquatic species. As such, seabird species can be thought of as sentinel indicators of marine ecosystem health. Therefore, conserving these seabird species means protecting the Gulf of Maine ecosystem as a whole.