Multi-species Seabird Colony Restoration

Nesting herring and great black-backed gulls (Larus argentatus and Larus marinus) were removed from a recently abandoned tern (Sterna sp.) colony in the Gulf of Maine through a combination of poisoning and shooting. All three species of tern that had nested in the colony prior to the arrival of the gulls returned and nested in increasing numbers. Removal of the gulls led to colonization and/or significant increases in populations of four other seabirds. Gull control is crucial for protecting other waterfowl species and reducing their disease spread and aircraft collisions. This project was cooperatively managed by the USFWS and the Island Research Center at the College of the Atlantic.