The Thick-billed Murre breeds in very large, dense colonies on sea cliffs in Canada’s subarctic and arctic waters. These colonies, with up to a million breeders, form the largest aggregations of seabirds in Canada. Dedicated colony counts across parts of its Canadian range suggest little overall change in abundance since 1970. The species is subject to a managed hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as a subsistence harvest of adults and eggs in Nunavut, and is very susceptible to oiling and other anthropogenic threats. However, its population status currently appears secure. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Canadian Thick-billed Murres and their eggs are harvested by indigenous hunters in many parts of their breeding range. This species is also harvested by residents of Greenland and Newfoundland and Labrador. The harvest of wintering birds in Newfoundland and Labrador was once estimated at 600,000-900,000 individuals (Elliot et al. 1991), but is now greatly reduced (Gaston and Robertson 2010). In recent years (2013-2017), approximately 60,000-65,000 Thick-billed Murres are harvested annually, with a peak of about 95,000 birds in 2016. Large numbers of murres were also caught incidentally in drift-net fisheries in the 1960’s, but changing fishing practices have greatly reduced this bycatch (Gaston and Hipfner 2000). The species remains susceptible to chronic and accidental oil pollution in its wintering range. Southern colonies may be affected by climate change (Gaston et al. 2002).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
