Carleton University

Northern Common Eider Ducks Are an Important Harvested Resource for Their Eggs, Meat, and Feather Down. Theeiders Nesting Along Coastlines of Hudson Strait, Baffin Island, Nunavut Are Under Several Pressures Includinggrowing Industrial Marine Shipping in the Region, Increased Predation From Polar Bears, Mortality From Bothfisheries By-catch and Harvest on Their Wintering Grounds in West Greenland and Atlantic Canada, and Changes Inlocal Ice Dynamics and Food Availability. This Is Concerning Given That This Coastal Region Has Been Identifiedby the Sea Duck Key Habitat Sites Atlas as an Internationally Important Habitat for Sea Duck Conservation (SITE#35 Markham Bay, SDJV, 2022). Eiders Are Known to Be Sensitive While Nesting, and Can Be Impacted by Outbreaksof Avian Disease, Human Disturbance, or Higher Rates of Polar Bear Nest Predation. the Objective of This Projectis to Resurvey the Breeding Colonies of Common Eider Ducks Nesting in Hudson Strait Along the Southern Coast Ofbaffin Island, Nunavut, in Direct Collaboration With the Inuit Community of Kinngait (formerly, Cape Dorset). Theresults of These New Surveys (2025-2027) Will Be Compared to Historical Information Collected Periodically on Thesame Islands Over a 68-YEAR Period Since the 1950S. This Will Provide Updated Information on the Distribution Andnumber of Common Eiders in the Region, as Well as the Impact of Bear Predation and Avian Cholera If They Aredetected. We Will Compare Information From These New Surveys to Our Historical Dataset to Assess the Impact Ofshipping, Polar Bear Predation, and Winter Mortality on the Common Eider Breeding Population on Southern Baffinisland. Importantly, the Results of This Study Will Be Shared With the Community of Kinngait (municipal Partner),the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board (territorial Partner), Environment Canada (federal Partner), and Thegreenland Institute of Nature (international).