Northern Fulmar,
Pacific race
(Fulmaris glacialis rodgersii):
The
population in the North Pacific region is 4,600,000, with
the highest densities found in the Bearing Sea. Northern
Fulmar numbers have been on the increase since the turn of
the century. These birds commonly follow fishing boats, feeding
on the refuse, and their population increase is generally
attributed to the expansion of the fishing industries.
Fulmar nesting colonies are dense, with as many as 200,000
pairs in one colony. They nest in shallow scrapes usually
laying one but on occasion two eggs. Fulmar
eggshells are particularly thick for petrels, incubation lasts for 52 –53
days, chicks fledge by 46 days. These birds reach sexual maturity at 6 to 12
years and may live into their 40’s. Fulmars come to land for breeding
only and spend the rest of their lives out at sea.
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Northern Fulmar (Photo: Tom Tucker)
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Northern fulmars breed in the summer months and although their main population
breeds along the Aleutian Islands they can be found as far south as Baja California
during the fall and winter months.
Northern fulmars in the Pacific average 544 grams, and require
1,116.3 Kj of energy on a daily basis. They feed mainly
on cod, rockfish and pollock, which
are considered low caloric fish species; they also eat
small cephalopods and some caplain and sandlance. Studies
show that the richest food in their diet
is mostly consumed in the Bearing Sea, while their diets
from Southern Alaska contain foods of lesser caloric
value. Their high caloric needs and low caloric
diets create a challenge for them to find enough food to
sustain them. There was no data found on fulmar diets
in California waters.
The fact that fulmars derive much of their diet from fishing activity and the
diets of more southerly areas are poor may contribute to higher mortalities
in birds foraging in the extreme southern limits of their range. Beached dead
or dying emaciated and anemic fulmars are a common occurrence for coastal California
during the fall and winter months. Usually these birds are scattered over large
areas and are often in remote locations. The high numbers of birds retrieved
this season may be attributed to:
1. A very successful year for Alaska sea bird populations
resulting in a large surplus of young birds.
2. Unusually poor food opportunities for this species off
the California coast, contributing to higher winter mortalities.
3. Strong winds blowing onshore forcing large numbers of birds to beach that
would normally have perished out at sea.
Any one or more of these factors may have occurred
to increase the numbers of fulmars stranded on our
beaches. We may not know for years to come if at
all why this year was more extreme than usual.
Overall one bad year for these birds does not mean anything for the species
survival. This is a numerous and prolific bird whose numbers show a yearly
fluctuation but generally has been increasing in the Pacific. The main threats
facing these birds are the modernization of the fishing industry. Less refuse
thrown into the sea from fishing vessels in theory will most likely cause population
declines for these birds. Currently most fulmar mortalities are attributed
to the long line fishing industry. But these mortalities though large are not
causing the population to decline.
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