Recent changes in the winter diet of murres (Uria spp.) in coastal Newfoundland waters

We investigated the winter diet of murres (Uria spp.) in coastal Newfoundla nd waters in relation to environmental and ecological changes that have occ urred in the Northwest Atlantic since the 1980s. We analyzed the contents o f 371 stomachs (311 from Thick-billed Murres, Uria lomvia, and 60 from Comm on Murres, Uria aalge) of birds shot by hunters around the Newfoundland coa st during the winters of 1996-1998. We observed that the frequency of empty stomachs was greater in our study than in a similar study conducted during 1984-1986. We found no difference in the proportion of fish in the diet be tween the 1980s and the 1990s, however, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida; from 55 to 12%) and capelin (Mallotus villosus; from 28 to 6%) decreased in freq uency of occurrence. The proportion of stomachs containing crustaceans and squid did not change between the 1980s and 1990s, but hyperiid amphipods (P arathemisto spp.) replaced euphausiids (Thysanoessa spp.) as the predominan t crustacean. Changes in murre winter diet off the coast of Newfoundland co rroborate other sources of information indicating that major changes in the distribution and biology of marine organisms occurred in the Northwest Atl antic during the 1990s.