Approximately one third of the 4,500 individuals that make up the Barrow’s Goldeneye population in Eastern North America–a population designated as being “of special concern” by COSEWIC–spend time in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park every winter.
The goldeneye gather in the fall and winter in some bays along the St. Lawrence. These shallow, rocky bays–where the seaweed shelters crustaceans and molluscs–are an ideal habitat for the goldeneye, providing the food and shelter they need to survive.
Oil spills, sediment contamination and hunting along the St. Lawrence where the goldeneye overwinter all threaten this species. As for forestry operations, this activity threatens the species’ breeding grounds: it destroys nests, reduces the number of nesting sites, heightens the exposure of the young to predators and, since it opens up access to lakes, increases the likelihood of brood disturbance.
