Table 14-5. (Concluded) 



0~rare or absent; l=uncommon; 2=abundant or common. 



Historical Trends 



During the 19th century, populations of most species of seabirds declined 

 because of human exploitation and disturbance of nesting colonies. Hunting, 

 egg-collecting, and disturbance of nesting islands by grazing sheep, 

 introduced pets, lumbering, and construction led to the elimination of 

 breeding populations of double-crested cormorants, great black-backed gulls, 

 eiders, puffins, and black guillemots along the Maine coast by the 1870s 

 (Norton 1923b; Drury 1973). Between 1870 and 1900, terns, laughing gulls, and 

 herring gulls were slaughtered to provide feathers for the millinery industry. 

 Many of the herring gull colonies on inshore islands were abandoned during the 

 1890s and the only known large colony remaining was on No Mans Land Island 

 (region 4; Norton 1923b). Leach's storm petrels and some species of terns 

 survived in moderate numbers during this period (Drury 1973 and 1974). 



State laws 

 was financi 

 National As 

 a result 

 guillemots , 

 have begun 

 11,000 pai 

 populations 

 Cormorants 



protecting seabirds were enacted as early as 1901 and enforcement 



ally supported by the American Ornithologist's Union and the 



sociation of Audubon Societies. Most species increased markedly as 



of protection. After 1900, numbers of common eiders, black 



and puffins increased steadily until recently, when their numbers 



leveling off (figure 14-1). Herring gulls increased from about 



rs in 1900 to over 40,000 pairs in the 1920s. Since then 



have fluctuated between 20,000 and 36,000 pairs (figure 14-1). 



and great black-backed gulls recovered more slowly than other 



14-9 



10-80 



