muttonbirding

Sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) harvest intensity and selectivity on Poutama Island, New Zealand

Rakiura Maori annually harvest sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) chicks from islands in Foveaux Strait and adjacent to Stewart Island, New Zealand. Chick availability and the number of chicks harvested were estimated during the 1994 and 1995 seasons on Poutama (Evening Island). Burrow entrance densities estimated using circular plots were significantly higher in 1994 (0.45 ± 0.03 per m) than in 1995 (0.41 ± 0.03 per m). A similar burrow entrance density (0.45 ± 0.04 per m) was obtained in 1995 using a transect sampling technique.