Study; Great Lakes gulls in poor health

Published: May 15, 2008 at 11:31 AM

OTTAWA, May 15 (UPI) -- It might be assumed stocking the Great Lakes with exotic salmon and trout might be good for gulls but a Canadian study puts that assumption in doubt.

Craig Hebert and colleagues at the Canadian Wildlife Research Center in Ottawa analyzed 25 years of data on the gulls and discovered the Great Lakes birds are in poor health in many areas.

The scientists said fish are the gulls' staple diet, so it would be natural to assume more fish would mean better dining. Instead, the researchers said the addition of species such as exotic salmon hasn't been good for the birds. Tests of their tissues showed an increased in transfats associated with food produced by humans, suggesting the birds have been forced to make a shift from fish to terrestrial food, including garbage, Hebert said.

Experts aren't sure why the birds are eating more garbage when exotic salmon and trout are added to the waters but Herbert said the birds might be out-competed for their favorite prey of smaller fish. And when fish are unavailable, the birds turn to land for their foraging.

The study appeared in the April issue of the journal Ecology.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Scientists find link between cancer genes (12 min)
Study: U.S. climate still changing (34 min)
UPI NewsTrack Business (50 min)
Jobless claims drop in week
Gorilla blood pressure device created
Mexico: Highest H1N1 deaths in elderly
Dark chocolate eases emotional stress
fark
90% of students at City University of New York can't do basic algebra. So, you know...just like...
"Main Street merchants want crack at market" in Santa Monica, says poorly worded headline. Presumably...
14-year-old boy attacked by cougar, police say. His girlfriend isn't amused
"Spiritualist" police trainer who called for the British police to include mediums and psychics...
First Paragraph: Police say a Twin Lake man broke into a woman's mobile home last week, pulled out...
Just in case Scotland didn't have enough problems already, now the beaches are radioactive