![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca\/328630D4-FA98-497A-9158-B53BB99501E6\/fig02_eng.jpg\")
Map of Haida Gwaii showing extant and extirpated ancient murrelet colonies.\u00a0 https:\/\/www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca\/default.asp?lang=En&n=328630D4-1<\/p><\/div>\n
Historically the islands of Haida Gwaii had no terrestrial mammalian predators of ancient murrelets (although the native keen’s mouse has been shown to prey upon seabird eggs) (Drever et al, 2000). The introduction of non-native predators such as the black rat (Rattus rattus<\/em>), the norway rat\u00a0(Rattus norvegicus<\/em>) and the common raccoon (Procyon lotor)<\/i>\u00a0has resulted in a dramatic decline in ancient murrelet numbers.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Black rat predation of a sea bird on Haida Gwaii. Photo: I. Jones.<\/p><\/div>\n Historic estimates place the number of breeding pairs of ancient murrelets on Langara island (located at the northwest tip of haida gwaii) before the introduction of norway rats at 200000 – by 1993 this number was 20000 and further declined to 10000-15000 by 1999 (Environment Canada, 2015). This prompted Parks Canada to start a rat eradication campaign on Langara island. The campaign consisted of placing bait stations,\u00a0containing the anticoagulant\u00a0brodifacoum, every 75 to 100 metres over the island for a period of two years. Subsequent monitoring of the island yielded no signs of rats and the island was declared rat free (Taylor et al, 2000) . This successful removal of norway rats saw an increase in ancient murrelet pairs to 20000-30000 by 2004 (Environment Canada, 2015).<\/p>\n Map showing the locations (everywhere) of bait stations on Langara island (Taylor et al, 2000).<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Despite the victory on Langara island many small islands within Haida Gwaii with ancient murrelet colonies still experienced predation by introduced predators. Sixteen of the thirty one ancient murrelet colonies found on Haida Gwaii are located within the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve (Environment Canada, 2015). In 2011 Parks Canada the Haida Nation and several international partners began project\u00a0SGin Xaana Sdiihltl\u2019lxa – meaning “night birds returning” in Haida (night birds returning references the ancient murrelets habit of leaving its nest at night). The aim of night birds returning was the eradication of rats from islands containing seabird colonies located within Gwaii Haanas. The first phase of night birds returning was the removal of rats from\u00a0Arichika and the Bischof Islands – sites of expatriated ancient murrelet colonies.\u00a0The eradication program took three months of on the ground rodenticide placement and rat carcase removal.<\/p>\n The Bischof Islands. Photo: Andrew Wright<\/p><\/div>\n In 2013 the project shifted focus to the removal of rats from two larger islands\u00a0Murchison and Faraday. The size of these islands made the manual placement of rodenticide impractical therefore an aerial broadcast of rodenticide was used via helicopter\u00a0(Parks Canada, 2017).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/files\/2017\/10\/project-night-birds-1-300x200.jpg\")
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