The waters off Newfoundland and Labrador support globally significant populations of marine vertebrates, including an estimated 40 million seabirds annually (Barrett et al. 2006). Local and Arctic breeding auks (common murre, Uria aalge, thick-billed murre, Uria lombia, and dovekie, Alle alle) and black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) over-winter in the region, and globally significant populations of auks (common murre and Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica) and each’s storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) breed in the area during summer. Millions of Puffinus shearwaters also migrate from colonies in the Southern Hemisphere to become the main avian consumers of fish in summer(Barrett et al. 2006).A number of recent tracking studies highlight the importance of the southern Labrador Sea, in particular, as foraging habitat for seabirds (Fort et al. 2012, McFarlane Tranquilla et al. 2013, Hedd et al. unpublished data). Foraging habitat spans the Orphan Basin in the south to 56.N, covering continental shelf, slope and adjacent offshore waters. This area meeting EBSA criteria
represents the portion in pelagic waters where the core foraging and wintering areas for three seabird species intersect. A portion of this area has been proposed as a marine Important Bird Area by BirdLife International due to its importance for over-wintering black-legged kittiwakes.

The area is located in the southern portion of the Labrador Sea, north-east of Newfoundland. The identified seabird habitats span the Canadian EEZ and adjacent pelagic waters, but the area described as meeting the EBSA criteria is restricted to the pelagic portion. The specific areas used by each seabird species are likely to vary seasonally and inter-annually so the area is dynamic in nature.

The waters off Newfoundland and Labrador provide important year-round foraging habitat for seabirds (Barrett et al. 2006). A recent study of year-round tracking for black-legged kittiwakes from 18 breeding colonies throughout the North Atlantic, which together represent .25% of the biogeographic population, found a high degree of mixing and spatial overlap of populations during the winter period (Fredericksen et al. 2012). The authors estimated that 80% of 4.5 million adult kittiwakes breeding in the Atlantic wintered west of the mid-Atlantic ridge, with many populations concentrating over the Newfoundland and Labrador shelf (Fredericksen et al. 2012; see figure 3). The importance of the area for kittiwakes has been confirmed through pelagic (vessel) surveys, with high densities observed in winter over the shelf and along the shelf-edge off north-east Newfoundland (Fifield et al. 2009). Areas beyond the shelf-edge, however, have been poorly covered. The concentrated winter occurrence of much of the North Atlantic population of black-legged kittiwake was cause for concern for Fredericksen et al. (2012), as while the population is large, there have been widespread declines in the last decade, and the species is regionally Red-Listed in Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark) (Fredericksen, 2010). Reasons for population declines are only partly understood (involving food shortages and poor breeding success),but in some areas declines appear to be linked to increasing ocean temperatures (Fredericksen et al. 2004).

Year-round tracking of thick-billed murre from five eastern Canadian colonies (together representing .35% of the eastern Canadian population) has also highlighted Orphan Basin, the Labrador Shelf and adjacent portions of the Labrador Sea as important winter habitat (McFarlane Tranquilla et al. 2013; figure2).Birds from all colonies used these areas to varying degrees, with Orphan Basin and areas in the south being particularly important for Minarets and Gannet Island birds, and the Labrador Shelf and adjacent portions of the Labrador Sea being important for birds originating from colonies in Hudson Bay (Coats and Digges Islands). Scaled to colony size (figure 5), the birds breeding at the large Digges Island colony, followed by Coats and Minarets, account for many of the birds estimated to be present in the proposed region during winter.

The southern portion of the region, offshore of the Orphan Basin, also provides important summer foraging habitat for the world’s largest population of each’s storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) (3.5 million pairs, .75% of the eastern Canadian population; Sklepkovych & Montevecchi 1989) at Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland (figure 6; Hedd et al., unpublished data). These petrels specialize on myctophid
fishes, mesopelagic species widespread in waters deeper than 300 m (Nafpaktitus et al. 1977), which is consistent with the highly pelagic nature of the birds. There is concern for each’s storm-petrels, given that a number of locally significant colonies have declined substantially over the past two decades (Robertson et al. 2006; S. Wilhelm et al., Environment Canada, unpublished data). While the cause(s) of population declines are unknown, several potential cumulative drivers, including ongoing marine ecosystem change (Buren et al. 2014), increased predation by large gulls Larus spp. (Stenhouse & Montevecchi 1999, Stenhouse et al. 2000), attraction to and mortality in association with offshore oil activities(Wiese et al. 2001, Ellis et al. 2013) and high levels of contaminants in eggs (Burgess& Braune 2001) warrant further investigation. The population trend for the colony at Baccalieu is unknown, but it
was surveyed in 2013.

Winter productivity in the region of the Labrador Sea used by thick-billed murres from the Minarets colony, in particular, was high relative to the surrounding regions (figure 5). Productivity at other times of year did not appear to differ in or outside the area used. The factors causing the variability in seabird foraging are not well understood. Therefore, in practice it will not be possible to track the changing boundaries of this area meeting EBSA criteria in real time. However, as knowledge of seabird foraging improves, it may become possible to identify reasonable covariates that can be used to delineate the boundaries of this area more precisely and in time frames that can inform management.

Seabirds are long-lived (several decades) and slow reproducing, making them susceptible to negative impacts from marine threats. Accidental by-catch in gillnet, longline and trawl fisheries is a risk for several species (Piatt et al., 1984; Benjamins et al., 2008; Ellis et al., 2013). In continental shelf regions adjacent to the described area, there has been a history of heavy fisheries exploitation, which could be a
threat to seabird populations present. Although mortality caused by pollution from chronic and episodic oil spills, and collisions with lights and flares on offshore vessels and platforms can be problematic, the area described is situated mainly in the pelagic zone, including the Orphan Basin, where there is ongoing oil and gas exploration and development (Montevecchi, 2007; Ellis et al., 2013).

Additional criteria
The site qualifies as a BirdLife International Important Bird Area for the black-legged kittiwake.

Rights and permissions
Seabird tracking data has been generously provided by Laura McFarlane Tranquilla, Bill Montevecchi, Tony Gaston, April Hedd, Morten Frederiksen, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Rob Barrett, Bergur Olsen, Maria Bogdanova, Børge Moe, Thierry Boulinier, Francis Daunt, Deryk Shaw, Geir Helge Systad, David Grémillet, Hallvard Strøm, Harald Steen, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Svein-Håkon Lorentsen, Lorraine Chivers, Mark Mallory, Mark Newell, Olivier Chastel, Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard, Thorkell Lindberg Thórarinsson, Tony Gaston, and Yuri Krasnov.