Reproductive ecology and demography of eiders breeding in East Bay Bird Sanctuary

East Bay Island is the largest known breeding colony of common eider ducks in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Our studies at East Bay were initiated in 1996 in response to concerns that northern common eiders were being overharvested on their wintering grounds in west Greenland. As a result of this work, new harvest quotas were implemented in 2002 in Greenland, and the population at East Bay began to recover. We continue to evaluate the influence of harvest on northern common eiders. We are also investigating potential impacts of several emerging issues in an effort to inform wildlife management decisions, marine areas conservation planning, and marine emergency response planning. Many of the issues that we are currently researching are in response to concerns raised by northern communities and environmental assessment initiatives. They include: 1. Identifying key seabird marine habitats in an effort to mitigate potential issues with northern industrial development, particularly year-round shipping; 2. Investigating polar bear predation on eider nests as sea ice diminishes;3. Investigating direct effects of changing sea-ice regimes on eider reproduction and population dynamics;4. Understanding the physiological mechanisms linking climate variability, reproduction, and survival of Arctic breeding migratory birds.