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Layton-Matthews K., Buckingham L., Critchley E.J., Nilsson A.L.K., Ollus VMS., Ballesteros M., Christensen-Dalsgaard S., Dehnhard N., Fauchald P., Hanssen F., Helberg M., Masden E., May R.F., Sandvik H., Tarroux A. & Reiertsen T.K. 2023. Development of a Cumulative Impact Assessment tool for birds in Norwegian Offshore Waters: Trollvind OWF as a case study. NINA Report 2295. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. There is growing interest in the economic potential of marine areas for e.g., offshore renewables, fisheries, and shipping. Thus, the cumulative stress on marine ecosystems and the species inhabiting them is increasing. This is of particular concern for migratory birds and seabirds which are undergoing global declines. In the light of an expanding global market for offshore renewables, knowledge of their cumulative impacts combined with other human-derived pressures on marine populations is crucial. This is set against the backdrop of climate change and associated large-scale changes in our oceans. Achieving sustainable development, while mitigating the effects of climate change, requires effective tools to assess the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic stressors on ecosystems. Cumulative impact assessments for the marine environment are strongly influenced by an approach developed by Halpern et al. (2008). In this report, we present and demonstrate a beta-version of a cumulative impact assessment tool for marine industrial pressures on seabirds, which is being developed through the Research Council of Norway (RCN) -funded MARCIS project. The goal of MARCIS is to assess the impacts of marine anthropogenic pressures on seabirds in the North-East Atlantic, which will both utilise and further develop the Halpern formula and provide a publicly open web-based tool that acts as a decision support for marine spatial planning. Equinor has been exploring the potential for con-structing a floating offshore wind farm, called Trollvind, in the North Sea. This proposed floating wind farm is in the early planning stages of development and is proposed to be located around the Troll offshore oil and gas platforms, approximately 65 km west of Bergen. This report presents; 1) a summary of a scoping of existing data of birds using Norwegian offshore area, 2) an assessment of bird migration through the North Sea and the Trollvind area, and the likelihood that some bird groups will be more impacted by an offshore wind farm in this area, and 3) a demonstration of the tool under development (the MARCIS web application), where we assess the potential cumulative impact of the proposed Trollvind OWF development and ocean warming on two seabird populations, as a case study. This report has specific emphasis on the demonstration of the tool. Results of the scoping study of birds using the Norwegian offshore areas indicated a below-medium to medium sensitivity of waterbirds to wind farms in the Trollvind area. However, there were strong seasonal differences showing above-medium values in summer in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the area. Our results also revealed that migratory bird groups differ in their type of risks of impact associated with the Trollvind development, where migrating raptors, gulls, waterfowl and owls were at greatest risk of collision, while migrating seabirds, waterbirds and waders had a higher risk of displacement and/or barrier effects. In the demo of the tool, we estimated the cumulative impact of two stressors (Trollvind OWF and ocean warming) on two study populations (kittiwake breeding at Ålesund colony and common guillemot from Sklinna colony). Both their non-breeding distribution and the cumulative impact of the two stressors was visualised in the demo of the MARCIS App. The impact of Trollvind OWF was negligible for both populations, while disturbance led to a small reduction in guillemots’ body mass and consequently their survival rates. However, ocean warming had a larger population impact, given the high emissions scenario used to quantify impact weights, particularly for guillemots. However, it is important to keep in mind that this demonstration is a case study of only two populations and should be interpreted in the larger context of the results from the scoping study and bird migration studies. The extensive range of species using this area at different times of year are much larger, and this has implementations for a potentially broader impact of such offshore developments. This also highlights the need for both spatial explicit distribution data and demographic/population data to ensure an appropriate knowledge base of population impacts before any OWF developments are conducted. Layton-Matthews K., Buckingham L., Critchley E.J., Nilsson A.L.K., Ollus V.M.S., Ballesteros M., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Dehnhard N., Fauchald P., Hanssen F., Helberg M., Masden E., May R.F., Sandvik H., Tarroux A. & Reiertsen T.K. 2023. Development of a Cumulative Impact As-sessment tool for birds in Norwegian Off-shore Waters: Trollvind OWF as a case study. NINA Rapport 2295. Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Presset på marine områder øker med økende økonomiske interesser for bruk av havområdene. Marine områder har blitt viktige arenaer for industriell utvikling som for eksempel havvind, petroleumsaktivitet, skipstrafikk og fiskeri. I lys av et ekspanderende globalt marked for havvind, er kunnskap om sumeffekter av både havvind, andre marine industriaktiviteter og klimaendringer avgjørende for å sikre en god sameksistens med sjøfugl og trekkfugler som benytter de samme havområdene. Økt utnyttelse av havarealene øker sumeffektene og stresset på marine økosystemer og artene som bor der, sett i lys av klima- og økosystem-endringene som skjer i marine økosystemer. Å oppnå bærekraftig utvikling, samtidig som effektene av klimaendringer reduseres, krever effektive verktøy for å vurdere sumeffektene av menneskeskapte stressfaktorer på økosystemene. Metoder for å estimere sumeffekter for havmiljøet er sterkt påvirket av en tilnærming utviklet av Halpern et al. (2008), som ser på summen av ulike stressfaktorer sin påvirkning på et miljø og miljøets sensitivitet til de ulike stressfaktorene. I denne rapporten vil vi presentere og demonstrere en betaversjon av et verktøy som kan benyttes i marin arealplanlegging og som kvantifiserer effekter av marin industri aktivitet på sjøfugler. Dette verktøyet utvikles gjennom det forskningsråds-finansierte MARCIS-prosjektet. Målet med MARCIS er å vurdere virkningene av marin industriaktivitet og klimaendringer på sjøfugler i Nordøst-Atlanteren, og vil både benytte og videreutvikle Halpern-metoden. Verktøyet vil bli gjort tilgjengelig som et offentlig åpent nettbasert verktøy, og kan fungere som beslutningsstøtte for marin arealplanlegging. Equinor har undersøkt potensialet for bygging av en flytende havvindpark, kalt Trollvind, i Nordsjøen. Denne flytende vindparken er i et tidlig planleggingsstadium og foreslås plassert rundt olje- og gassplattformene i Trollfeltet, ca. 65 km vest for Bergen. Denne rapporten presenterer: 1)en oppsummering av en scoping av eksisterende data om fugler som bruker i norsk offshore-område, 2) en vurdering av fugletrekk gjennom Nordsjøen og Trollvind-området, og sannsynligheten for at noen fuglegrupper blir mer påvirket av en havvindpark i dette området, og 3) endemonstrasjon av verktøyet som er under utvikling (MARCIS-webapplikasjonen), der vi vurdererde potensielle sumeffektene av den foreslåtte Trollvind OWF-utbyggingen og havoppvarmingenpå to sjøfuglbestander, som et casestudie. Denne rapporten har lagt spesifikk vekt på demon-strasjonen av verktøyet. Resultatene av dette studiet indikerte at trekkfugler knyttet til vann (eks. dykkere, lom osv) hadde en under middels til middels følsomhet for havvindparker i Trollvind-området. Det var imidlertid sterke sesongforskjeller som viste over middels verdier om sommeren i østlige og nordøstlige deler av området. Resultatene våre avdekket også at grupper av trekkfugl hadde ulik risiko for å bli påvirket av en havvind-utbygging knyttet Trollvind-området. Trekkende rovfugler, måker, gjess og ender, og ugler hadde størst risiko for kollisjon med turbiner, mens trekkende sjøfugler, andre fugler knyttet til vann og vadefugler hadde høyere risiko for å bli fordrevet fra området eller utsatt for barriereeffekter av havvind-installasjoner. Sum-effektene av to ulike stressfaktorer (Trollvind havvindpark og havoppvarming) ble estimert for to studiepopulasjoner (krykkje og lomvi fra hhv Ålesund og Sklinna) og visualisert i betaversjonen av MARCIS-appen. Effekten av en potensiell havvind-installasjon i Trollvind området var ubetydelig for begge popu-lasjoner, mens fordrivelse fra området førte til en liten reduksjon i lomviens kroppsmasse og dermed effekt på bestandens overlevelsesrate. Havoppvarmingen hadde imidlertid en større påvirkning på bestandene, og spesielt for lomvi. Det er imidlertid viktig å huske på at denne demonstrasjonen er en casestudie av bare to populasjoner og bør tolkes i en større kontekst i lys av resultatene fra scoping-studiet og fugletrekkstudiet. Begge disse viser det omfattende spekteret av arter som bruker dette området, og hvordan mengde og sammensetning av arter varierer til ulike tider av året. Effekten av en offshore havvind utbygging i Trollvind området har dermed en potensielt større effekt. Dette fremhever også behovet for gode data, både romlige distribusjonsdata og data på demografiske rater eller bestandstall for å sikre et godt nok kunnskapsgrunnlag om effekter på populasjoner før eventuelle havvind-utbygginger tar til.

Moe, B., Hanssen, S. A., Ytrehus, B., Balk, L., Chastel, O., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Gustavsson, H. & Langset, M. 2020.Thiamine deficiency and seabirds in Norway. A pilot study. NINA Report 1720. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is vital for life-sustaining enzymes in cells. Previous studies have reported episodes of thiamine deficiency in marine ecosystems, and suggested that this have contributed to population declines of seabirds breeding in the Baltic Sea and elsewhere. Many Norwegian seabird populations have shown a strong decline in population size, but thiamine status has never been assessed. The objective of this pilot study was, thus, to document thiamin levels in selected species and their associated food webs, and explore methodological issues relevant for future studies or monitoring. The methodological tests showed that storage freezing temperature did not affect thiamine levels in egg yolk samples, and that thiamine levels in eggs could not be corrected for incubation time. Furthermore, the quantified thiamine levels differed between two laboratories, and we developed a predictive equation to convert thiamine levels in egg yolk samples between the laboratories. This pilot study has, for the first time, investigated thiamine levels in seabird eggs from selected species and populations in Norway mainland and Svalbard, and in their food webs. We revealed variation among species, populations and prey types. The lowest levels were found in eggs from common eiders and in blue mussel which is their prey. Eggs from herring gulls had also relatively low levels. The levels for common eiders and herring gulls were higher than previously reported from the Baltic Sea. Nevertheless, the levels from common eiders, herring gulls and blue mussels should be classified as thiamine deficient according to effect-ranges reported in these previous studies. The highest levels were found in eggs from kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins. The diet samples from kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins had higher thiamine levels compared to blue mussels. This is the first time thiamine levels are reported for kittiwakes and Atlantic puffins. This pilot-study cannot answer whether Norwegian seabird population sizes are affected by thiamine levels, but we cannot rule out that thiamine can be a limiting factor for some Norwegian seabird populations. This report identifies knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for future studies and monitoring. We suggest more sampling of levels to better understand variation among years, areas, species and populations, and also clinical examinations and surveys. Studies investigating potential effects on reproduction and survival is ultimately need to better understand potential effects on population dynamics. Moe, B., Hanssen, S. A., Ytrehus, B., Balk, L., Chastel, O., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Gustavsson, H. & Langset, M. 2020. Tiaminmangel og sjøfugl i Norge. En pilotstudie. NINA Rapport 1720. Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Timanin (vitamin B1) er vitalt for livsopprettholdende enzymer i celler. Tidligere studier har rapportert at det kan forekomme episoder med tiaminmangel i marine økosystemer, og foreslått at det har bidratt til bestandsnedgang hos sjøfugler som hekker i Østersjøen og andre steder. Mange norske sjøfuglbestander har vist kraftig tilbakegang, men tiaminstatus har ikke blitt undersøkt. Målsettingen med denne pilotstudien var derfor å dokumentere tiaminnivåer i utvalgte arter og deres næringskjede, og teste metodiske forhold relevant for framtidige studier og overvåkning. Metodetestene viste at frysetemperatur ikke påvirket tiaminnivåene i eggeplomme, og at tiaminnivåene i eggeplomme ikke kunne korrigeres for rugetid. Vi fant også at tiaminnivå ble kvantifisert ulikt av to laboratorier, og vi utviklet en ligning for å omregne tiaminnivå i eggeplomme mellom laboratoriene. Denne pilotstudien har for første gang undersøkt tiaminnivå i sjøfuglegg fra utvalgte arter og bestander på fastlandet i Norge og Svalbard, samt i deres næringskjeder. Vi fant variasjon mellom arter, bestander og næringsemner. De laveste nivåene var i ærfuglegg og blåskjell som er føde til ærfugl. Det var også relativt lave nivåer i egg fra gråmåke. Nivåene som ble funnet i ærfugl og gråmåke var høyere enn det som tidligere er rapportert fra Østersjøen. Likevel, både nivåene i egg fra ærfugl og gråmåke, samt nivåene i blåskjell, skal karakteriseres som tiaminmangel i henhold til effektnivåer funnet i tidligere studier fra Østersjøen. Egg fra krykkje og lunde hadde de høyeste tiaminnivåene i denne studien. Næringsemnene til disse hadde også høyere tiaminnivåer enn blåskjell. Dette er første gang tiaminnivåer er målt i krykkje og lunde. Denne pilotstudien kan ikke svare på om størrelsen til norske sjøfuglbestander er påvirket av tiaminnivåer, men vi kan ikke utelukke at tiamin kan være en begrensende faktor for noen norske sjøfuglbestander. Denne rapporten identifiserer kunnskapshull og gir anbefalinger for nye studier og overvåkning. Vi foreslår mer innsamling og måling av tiaminnivåer for å bedre forstå variasjon mellom år, områder, arter og bestander, og også kliniske undersøkelser og kartlegging. Studier som undersøker effekter på reproduksjon og overlevelse behøves for å bedre forstå den potensielle effekten på bestandsutvikling.

In recent decades, the population of Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla has declined substantially in most parts of the North Atlantic. Concurrently, there has been an increased urbanisation of the species, with Kittiwakes colonising nearshore buildings and other man-made structures. Here we document the prevalence and performance of Kittiwakes breeding on offshore oil rigs on the Norwegian shelf and compare their reproductive output with parallel data from the nearest Kittiwake colonies monitored on the Norwegian coast. At least six (10%) of the 63 rigs addressed in the study were reported to have breeding Kittiwakes, four of which had a total of 1,164 breeding pairs in 2019. One of these offshore colonies was situated in the Barents Sea, the other five in the Norwegian Sea. Overall the Kittiwakes breeding on oil rigs had a moderate to high productivity, ranging on average between 0.61–1.07 large chicks per nest. This was higher than the productivity in most (but not all) colonies on man-made structures on the coast in the same period, and much higher than that in natural breeding habitats. The differences in Kittiwake productivity between offshore and coastal habitats are likely related to parallel differences in food availability and exposure to predators, but this warrants further study. Besides helping us explore key drivers of Kittiwake productivity, the increasing numbers of Kittiwakes breeding on man-made structures both offshore and on the coast clearly provide a significant contribution of juveniles to the impoverished Kittiwake population in Norwegian waters.

Liver samples from 10 herring gulls (Larus argentatus) were investigated for a broad range of chemicals used as additives in plastic products. The aim of this study was to clarify if the ingestion of plastic by seabirds would cause additives to leach out and get taken up by the organism, posing a potential harm. After chemical trace analyses of the liver samples, considerable concentrations of S/MCCPs and dechloranes were detected. Of the other additive classes analysed for, only sporadic detections were observed. In general, the results from chemical analysis of additives used in plastic do not indicate a relationship between gastric contents (plastic occurrence in the stomach) and additive concentration in the liver, in respect to the chemical compounds investigated here. NILU - Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning har på oppdrag fra Miljødirektoratet gjennomført en kjemisk analyse av additiver assosiert med plastpartikler i sjøfugl. Norsk Institutt for Naturforskning - NINA har vært ansvarlig for innsamling, transport og oppbevaring av prøver, samt forsendelsen av prøver fra NINA til NILU. Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning – NIVA har vært ansvarlig for analysering av kjemikalier som UV filtrere og stabilisatorer. Målet med prosjektet har vært og dokumentere forekomst av plast additiver i leverprøver fra sjøfugl som en mulig indikator på eksponering av plast i hav og mikroplast.

Nina Dehnhard, Dorte Herzke, Geir Wing Gabrielsen, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Amalie Ask, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Sebastien Descamps, Ingeborg Hallanger, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Magdalene Langset, Laura Monclús, Nina O’Hanlon, Tone Kristin Reiertsen & Hallvard Strøm 2019. Seabirds as indicators of distribution, trends and population level effects of plastic in the Arctic marine environment – Workshop Report. NINA Report 1719. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Plastic pollution is a global and increasing threat to ecosystems. Plastics in the oceans are une-venly distributed, are transported by currents and can now be found in the most remote environ-ments, including Arctic sea ice. The entanglement of wildlife by large plastic debris such as ropes is an obvious and well documented threat. However, the risks associated with the ingestion of smaller plastic particles, including microplastics (< 5mm) have been largely overlooked. Recent studies show that microplastic accumulates in the food web. Even in the Arctic and the deep sea, fish frequently contain microplastics in their guts. This, together with the fact that small micro-plastic particles can pass from the gut into blood and organs and also leach associated toxic additives raises health concerns for wildlife that ingest microplastic. Within the North Atlantic, plastic ingestion in seabirds has been studied systematically only in the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), for which plastic particles > 1mm found in the stomachs of dead (beached or bycaught) birds are quantified. With the origin of these birds being unknown, it is, however, impossible to assess how plastics affect populations even of this one monitored species, let alone for other seabird species that differ in their foraging behaviour and risk to ingest plastics. This report sums up the results of a workshop which aimed to identify possibilities for long-term monitoring of (micro-) plastic ingestion by seabirds in the framework of SEAPOP, the basal pro-gramme monitoring the performance of Norwegian seabird populations (www.seapop.no). The key conclusions were: 1) There is a need for baseline information on plastic ingestion across all seabird species to identify which species and populations are most suitable for monitoring. To obtain this information, the best approach is to investigate the stomach contents of dead birds (i.e. comparable methodology across all species). For long-term monitoring, not only species with high plastic ingestion are of interest, but also those with low plastic prevalence. 2) In the absence of information from (1), eight species that are complementary in their foraging behaviour and have a wide distribution range were selected as preliminary species of interest to monitor plastic ingestion. 3) For minimally invasive monitoring, regurgitates, fresh prey items and faeces are most suitable; 4) More information on prevalence of plastic ingestion is needed to identify optimal sample sizes for long-term monitoring. We therefore highlight the need for several pilot studies before establishing a plastic monitoring protocol within SEAPOP.

Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Dehnhard, N., Moe, B., Systad, G.H.R & Follestad, A. 2019. Unmanned installations and birds. A desktop study on how to minimize area of conflict. NINA Report 1731. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. Equinor is proposing to build an unmanned installation at the Peon gas discovery in the northern part of the North Sea, approximately 100 km west of Måløy. This type of installation is designed to primarily be operated remotely without the presence of personnel, and should require the least amount of maintenance. Birds and bird droppings, in particular, are addressed as a work health and safety aspect for personnel when entering installations related to maintenance operations. Furthermore, seabird faeces can possibly lead to structural deterioration. In this desk top study, the options to minimize the area of conflict between birds and personnel at the proposed un-manned installation has been addressed and evaluated. As the information on birds at unmanned installations is very limited, the report is primarily based on existing knowledge from other types of installations. The information has been collated through a literature review, interviews with people working offshore and information from the Norwegian Species Observation System. Birds can be attracted to offshore installations since they offer opportunities for foraging and provide resting, roosting and nesting sites. Further, birds can be attracted to installations by the illumination of either position lamps or the flare. The patterns of bird attraction to offshore installations varies across species and seasons. The results from the literature review and the observations carried out on offshore oil installations, showed that gulls are the most likely species group to pose problems related to offshore unmanned installations in the North Sea. The Peon-discovery is situated in the middle of the Norwegian Trench, which is an area of low biological productivity compared to e.g. the coastal zone and the shelf edge. Based on the analysis of foraging ranges of birds breeding on the mainland, seabird distribution at sea and information on wintering distribution derived from light-level geolocators, it appears that the area is not highly used by gulls throughout the year. Fishery activities are known to attract gulls. However, the apparent fishing activity in previous years has been low in the Peon-discovery area for most of the year, except for autumn. Gulls that follow fishing vessels may therefore be attracted to the area during autumn and might potentially stay into winter. In the report we focused on mitigation and deterrent methods that are best suitable towards gulls. Nonetheless, the methods may also work on other bird species. Strategies to control the gulls’ use of installations can be directed at the gulls’ visual, auditory and tactile senses or through physical barriers preventing birds from perching on the structures. There is, however, no single best deterrent method, and the method of choice depends very much on the construction of the installation. In dialogue with Equinor specific areas of potential conflict were identified and specific deterrent methods were suggested. These included stairways, walk-to-work landing platforms, balconies used for lay down areas and lifting of goods, hand rails, horizontal ledges and the weather deck. Deterrent methods included: Fence grating, auditory deterrent, bird “spiders”, Bird Free Gel and thin wires. In general, we also recommend a design that minimises the risk of bird faeces and water accumulating e.g. on horizontal ledges, balconies and the weather deck, to reduce corrosion of the installation. There have been few studies on the effectiveness of bird deterrent methods on offshore installations. We therefore recommend a systematic follow-up study to evaluate the effectiveness of the different methods of deterring birds. Furthermore, there remains a lot of uncertainty about the pH value of seabird faeces and their corrosiveness on various materials. We therefore also recommend a dedicated study looking at effects of bird faeces on materials used on offshore installations.

Fauchald P, Anker-Nilssen T, Barrett RT, Bustnes JO, Bårdsen B-J, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Descamps S, Engen S, Erikstad KE, Hanssen SA, Lorentsen S-H, Moe B, Reiertsen TK, Strøm H, Systad GH (2015) The status and trends of seabirds breeding in Norway and Svalbard – NINA Report 1151. 84pp. This report presents the updated sizes, trends and spatial distributions of the breeding populations of 17 seabird species breeding in Norway and Svalbard. The analyses are based on available census and monitoring data from SEAPOP; the Norwegian monitoring and mapping program for seabirds. In addition, the report presents results from a species-specific literature review of the most important prey items and drivers of population change. The report documents large-scale decadal changes in the seabird communities along the coast of Norway and Svalbard. A division of the populations into five geographical regions (North Sea & Skagerrak; Norwegian Sea; Barents Sea; Bjørnøya; and Spitsbergen) was used as a basis for the analyses of population dynamics from 1980 to present. 13 of the 35 regional seabird populations assessed have declined by more than 50% the last 25 years. 5 regional populations increased by more than 100% in the same period, while 8 populations showed large decadal fluctuations. Several populations were not assessed due to the lack of census and/or monitoring data. In order to improve the dataset, it is recommended that a census of breeding seabirds from Vesterålen to the Swedish border is completed. Declining populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups (i.e.; Pelagic surface-feeding (Ps), Pelagic diving (Pd), Coastal surface-feeding (Cs), Coastal benthic-feeding (Cb) and Coastal diving (Cd) seabirds). Populations with more than a 50% decline the last 25 years were: Common Gull (Cs), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Ps) and Atlantic Puffin (Pd) in the North Sea & Skagerrak; Great Cormorant (Cd), Common Eider (Cb), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Common Guillemot (Pd) in the Norwegian Sea; Herring Gull (Cs), Great Black-backed Gull (Cs), Black-legged Kittiwake (Ps) and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) in the Barents Sea; Northern Fulmar (Ps) and Glaucous Gull (Ps) on Bjørnøya; and Brünnich’s Guillemot (Pd) on Spitsbergen. The populations of European Shag and Great Cormorant have shown large fluctuations with a notable increase in the population of Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis in North Sea & Skagerrak. Common guillemot has been increasing in the Barents Sea since the collapse in the population in the 1980s, however the population in the Norwegian Sea has been steadily declining since the early 1980s. Atlantic Puffin is declining in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, but the population in the Barents Sea is stable or is increasing slightly. The datasets were too small to assess several of the large gull species in the Norwegian Sea. However, extensive monitoring in the North Sea & Skagerrak and recent censuses in the Barents Sea suggest declines by more than 50% in several of the gull populations in these areas. Black-legged Kittiwake has declined in all regions except for Bjørnøya. The large colonies of Brünnich’s Guillemot on Spitsbergen have declined from 1.15 million pairs in 1988 to 522 000 pairs in 2013. The colony on Bjørnøya (about 100 000 pairs) has in the same period been stable or declined slightly, while the small populations on the Norwegian mainland have almost disappeared. Northern Gannet has been increasing in Norway since the establishment of this species on Runde in the 1940s. The species has expanded northward and has recently established a small colony as far north as Bjørnøya. The review of diet studies highlighted the importance of the young age-classes of cod fish, the importance of pelagic forage fish species and in particular the importance of sandeel. However, the differences in diet among ecological groups combined with the fact that declining seabird populations were found in all regions and included all major ecological groups suggest that the recent changes in Norwegian seabird communities cannot be explained by changes in the abundance of a single group of resources alone. On the contrary, this might suggest a combined effect of simultaneous changes in several prey items, possibly involving entire trophic levels. Alternatively, it might suggest that bottom-up regulation through food is less important, and that top-down mechanisms such as anthropogenic stressors and predation are more involved in the present changes. A large number of studies have been conducted to investigate how different anthropogenic and environmental factors affect seabird populations. Factors such as fisheries by-catch, harvest and intentional killing, pollution and disturbance are all anthropogenic stressors with a welldocumented negative impact. Although most of these stressors have been reduced in Norwegian waters due to the implementation of regulatory mechanisms and protection measures, they might still have impact on local populations. For example, the decline in the population of Glaucous Gull on Bjørnøya has been related to high levels of persistent organic pollutants. Several case studies suggest that predation from avian and small mammalian predators in the seabird colonies might be important, and we cannot exclude this driver as an important mechanism behind the observed declines. The large spatial and the relatively long temporal scale of the population changes observed in the present report, might suggest that fluctuations in the marine ecosystems, possibly partly due to climate change and past and present fishing pressures, might be important. This is corroborated by numerous studies documenting a direct impact from food deprivation and an indirect impact from climatic factors on seabird population dynamics. Such factors often involve complex indirect trophic links which make it difficult to point out the ultimate cause of the observed change. We conclude that the two most likely candidates to explain the recent declines in Norwegian seabird populations are 1) increased predation in the seabird colonies from avian and mammalian predators and 2) ecosystem changes affecting the availability of prey. The impact from these drivers might be difficult to document and even more challenging to control. In contrast, more easily managed direct anthropogenic stressors such as fisheries by-catch, pollution, hunting and disturbance have either been constant or have shown a decreasing trend. Although these drivers cannot explain the recent population declines, they still contribute to the cumulative impact on seabird populations and these stressors are therefore especially important to control and minimize in rapidly declining and threatened populations. © Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Publikasjonen kan siteres fritt med kildeangivelse.

Mitt arbete blir från en eko filosofisk synvinkel, och den konsthantverkbaserade scenografin som kommer skapas är baserad på vår/min syn på relation mellan naturen och människan. Många har tankar om just detta, det känns angeläget att kunna skapa en miljö där detta finns som en underton och att skapa en subtil miljö där jag jobbar med det taktila arbete, - evighetsarbeten, baserade på mitt eget formspråk. Jag vill utforska minatankar och undersöka hur jag kan betrakta och visa detta från olika vinklar.Ett ställe där natur och av människan skapade objekt samspelar, men där naturenblir styrd av objektens väggar, blommor kan tränga sig igenom kompakta materialsom asfalt och nerbrytningsprocessen är en oändlig del av detta. Med dessa flaskor vill jag visa hur naturen fångas in i ett bestämt element och lever av det som serveras den.

Forsgren, E., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Fauchald, P, Järnegren, J. & Næsje, T. F. 2009. Norwegian marine ecosystems – are northern ones more vulnerable to pollution from oil than southern ones? – NINA Report 514. 32 pp. The prospect of petroleum industry activities in northern Norwegian marine areas, from Lofoten and northwards, including the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, is much debated. This report addresses the question whether the Lofoten-Barents Sea ecosystems are different and more vulnerable to oil pollution as compared to more southern Norwegian marine ecosystems. We summarise a literature review looking for evidence in relation to this. We found that there are a number of aspects which differ between the two areas, in particular with respect to biodiversity (lower in the north), species distributions, and ‘hot spot areas’ with high productivity and animal aggregations (especially significant in the north). Based on this knowledge we focus on the vulnerability of these ecosystems to pollution from oil, and discuss likely general and species specific differences in vulnerability between northern and southern Norwegian marine ecosystems. Cleaning up marine oil spills in remote, icy areas like the Arctic is particularly difficult. Moreover, the Lofoten-Barents Sea ecosystem appears, in several ways, more vulnerable to pollution from oil. This is due to, for instance, lower biodiversity, which has been suggested to be associated with lower resilience. Also, this area is the home of many valuable and vulnerable organisms. For example, the Lofoten-Barents Sea hosts large seabird colonies and contains the nursery area of important fishes. In addition, there are significant conflicts of interest between petroleum activities and other activities in the area, for example, important fisheries and nature conservation. Forsgren, E., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Fauchald, P, Järnegren, J. & Næsje, T. F. 2009. Norwegian marine ecosystems – are northern ones more vulnerable to pollution from oil than southern ones? – NINA Report 514. 32 pp. Oljeutvinning i nordlige norske havområder (fra Lofoten og nordover) har lenge vært omdiskutert. Denne rapporten tar for seg spørsmålet om de marine økosystemer i LofotenBarentshavet er forskjellige fra og mer sårbare for oljeforurensning enn områder lenger sør i Norge. I rapporten sammenfatter vi en litteraturgjennomgang av kunnskap relatert til dette. Vi fant flere aspekter som er forskjellige mellom disse økosystemene, for eksempel når det gjelder biodiversitet (lavere i nord), og forekomst av høyproduktive områder og ansamlinger av dyr (spesielt i nord). Basert på dette fokuserer vi på sårbarhet hos disse økosystemene med hensyn til oljeforurensing, og diskuterer sannsynlige generelle og artsspesifikke forskjeller i sårbarhet mellom de nordlige og sørlige norske områdene. Oppryddingsaksjoner i arktiske hav er meget vanskelige. Økosystemene i Lofoten-Barentshavet ser dessuten ut til å være mer sårbare for oljeforurensing av flere grunner. Dette skyldes blant annet at det trolig er mindre motstandskraft mot forstyrrelser i et artsfattigere system, og at dette området har mange spesielt verdifulle og sårbare arter. Lofoten-Barentshavet har mange store sjøfugl-kolonier, og er yngelområde for flere viktige fiskearter. I tillegg er det store interessekonflikter mellom oljeaktivitet og andre aktiviteter i området, som meget viktige fiskerier og naturvern. © Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Publikasjonen kan siteres fritt med kildeangivelse.

Anker-Nilssen, T. (ed.), Barrett, R.T., Bustnes, J.O., Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Erikstad, K.E., Fauchald, P., Lorentsen, S.-H., Steen, H., Strøm, H., Systad, G.H. & Tveraa, T. 2008. SEAPOP studies in the Barents and Norwegian Seas in 2007. - NINA Report 363. 92 pp. This is the third annual report of the SEAPOP programme, which was initiated in 2005. In 2007, the work continued at full scale in the Lofoten-Barents Sea area, and similar studies were initiated in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. The report is divided into three sections. The first is an executive summary, the second presents five selected highlights from the studies in 2007, whereas the third presents results from other projects within the programme. The programme is wide-ranging and with at least 17 project activities running in parallel, there is no room for details of the results in this short abstract. The main effort is however being put into mapping and monitoring. The most demanding activity is to build-up the long-term data series for the numerical development, reproduction, survival and diet of an ecological and geographical selection of breeding populations. This is made at a series of key-sites, no numbering nine locations after the inclusion of two new sites in central Norway (Sklinna and Runde) in 2007. Comparative analyses of these data series, across species and sites and against various environmental factors, are essential for explaining any documented changes and to predict future population trends. SEAPOP also aims to take advantage of advances in technology and develop more efficient methods of data collection, and uses high-tech data sampling techniques to document migration patterns and habitat use in species of special conservation concern. Seabirds are mapped both along the coast and at sea. To balance resource use against minimum requirements for validity of data, coastal areas are covered such that each area is mapped once every ten years in each season (breeding, moulting/autumn, winter and spring). The distribution and abundance of seabirds at sea in the various seasons are modelled from documented associations between oceanographic factors and the distribution of different seabird species and their prey. These associations are derived from data collected in a multidisciplinary cooperation on ecosystem surveys run by the Institute of Marine Research, Bergen. The programme’s web site (www.seapop.no) was launched at the first programme seminar, held in October 2007. The pages are under constant revision, and advanced computer technology is put to use to communicate the results to various users. Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, seabirds, mapping, monitoring, Barentshavet, Norskehavet, sjøfugl, kartlegging, overvåking