|
The Common Eider (Somateria
mollissima) is a sea duck typical of northern seacoasts.
The subspecies dresseri nests
in colonies on islands in the St. Lawrence estuary and in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence. It also nests along the coasts of the Maritime
Provinces and Maine. This duck is exploited as a game bird, as subsistence
food (aboriginal hunting and egg gathering) and is the only duck
that produces commercially harvestable eiderdown, a luxury by-product
with a high market value. The characteristics of the Common Eider's
life cycle make this species highly adapted to northern environments,
but at the same time particularly vulnerable to several forms of
human activities.
Conservation measures taken to date have resulted
in the protection and management of several nesting sites, primarily
in the St. Lawrence estuary. However, the situation of the Common
Eider population remains uncertain. Its susceptibility to devastating
epidemics, its vulnerability to hunting, the periodic invasion of
its habitat by land predators and humans, and the fact that management
of the diverse populations is currently under several distinct administrative
entities throughout Eastern North America underscore the need for
collaboration within an integrated management system. A review of
current knowledge on Common Eiders in the St. Lawrence highlights
the many gaps in the scientific information needed for sound management
of the species.
The Québec Common Eider Management Plan, under the
auspices of The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture - Québec was developed
by four partners: The Canadian Wildlife Service, Québec Region,
the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec, Ducks Unlimited
Canada, Québec Region and the Société Duvetnor Ltée. Its primary
objective is to insure habitat protection and population growth
of the Common Eider in the St. Lawrence. Population goals have been
established at 40,000 nesting pairs in the St. Lawrence estuary
and 20,000 on the Lower North Shore. These levels are based on currently
available data and will be adjusted on an ongoing basis. Implementation
of the Plan is being carried out by a Coordination
Office comprised of a representative from each of the four
partners and by an Implementation
Committee under the responsibility of two experts on the
Common Eider. To attain the primary objective and the targeted numbers,
guidelines based on sustainable development are set out. Four key
elements for the success of the Plan are also identified: acquisition
of necessary scientific information, ongoing collaboration among
participants, active participation of the organizations involved,
and support of partners on a continental scale. A series of strategic
actions required to attain the primary objective and the population
goals for the Common Eider are then proposed. These are grouped
into three categories: acquisition of knowledge, interventions on
the species and its habitat and various administrative and legislative
measures.
The complete document is available in pdf format
(the file is about 2,2Mb so it could take several minutes to
download it) or online.
|
