Breeding performance of kittiwakes and murres in relation to oceanographic and meteorologic conditions across the shelf of the southeastern Bering Sea

Abstract

Contrary to expected results, black-legged and red-legged kittiwakes on St. George Island exhibited more variability in annual breeding performance than black-legged kittiwakes at Cape Peirce. Thick-billed and common murres at St. George also showed more annual variability than common murres at Cape Peirce. Kittiwakes at St. George exhibited improved breeding performance during years with colder water temperatures and lower summer wind speeds. Correlations between breeding performance in kittiwakes and murres and environmental conditions at Cape Peirce were inconclusive. A general decline in the annual breeding success of kittiwakes and murres at St. George between 1976 and 1984 coincided with reduced abundance of juvenile walleye pollock. Consistently low breeding success of kittiwakes and murres at Cape Peirce varied little among six years observed between 1970 and 1984. These results challenge previous considerations of pelagic food webs on the outer shelf as being more stable than those in the coastal domain.