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Scientists studying the Atlantic puffin population off the coast of Maine say the birds are now recovering after suffering major losses in 2021.
研究緬因州沿海大西洋海雀的科學家表示，在2021年遭受重大損失后，這種鳥類目前正在恢復。
Atlantic puffins look and walk similarly to penguins.
大西洋海雀的長相和走路方式與企鵝相似。
Wildlife officials say reproductions for the animals on islands off the coast of Maine fell sharply in 2021.
野生動物官員表示，2021年，緬因州沿海島嶼上的大西洋海雀的繁殖量急劇下降。
But last year, about two-thirds of puffins in the area produced young.
但去年，該地區(qū)約三分之二的海雀產下了幼崽。
While the numbers did not reach that same level this year, the birds still had a better year than in 2021.
雖然今年海雀的數量沒有達到同樣的水平，但今年海雀的繁殖狀況仍然比2021年更好。
The main reason for the decreasing numbers is a drop in the population of small fish puffins feed on, such as herring.
海雀數量減少的主要原因是其賴以為生的小魚（如鯡魚）的數量減少。
Two years ago, puffin colonies suffered one of the lowest reproduction rates in many years because of a lack of those fish.
兩年前，由于缺乏這種魚類，海雀的繁殖率達到了多年來最低水平之一。
Only about one-quarter of the birds were able to raise young in 2021.
2021年，只有大約四分之一的海雀能夠繁育幼鳥。
Environmental groups have linked the lower fish populations in the area to warming ocean temperatures.
環(huán)保組織將該地區(qū)魚類數量減少與海洋溫度升高聯系在一起。
The Gulf of Maine, which has puffin colonies on its islands, is warming faster than most of the world's oceans.
緬因灣的島嶼上有海雀的棲息地，緬因灣溫度上升的速度比世界上大多數海洋都要快。
Some recent years have been especially warm and local climate officials have said this summer appears to have been "still unusually warm."
最近幾年尤其溫暖，當地氣候官員表示，今年夏天似乎“仍然異常溫暖”。
Bill Sydeman is the president and chief scientist at the Farallon Institute, a conservation organization based in California.
比爾·西德曼是總部設在加利福尼亞州的環(huán)保組織法拉隆研究所的主席兼首席科學家。
He told The Associated Press the reasons for the puffin population drop include deadly heat waves, loss of food, loss of islands to sea level rise and an inability to reproduce, or breed.
他告訴美聯社，海雀數量下降的原因包括致命的熱浪、食物的減少、海平面上升導致的島嶼消失以及無法繁殖。
"The problem with climate change is these breeding failures and low breeding productivity years are now becoming chronic," Sydeman said.
西德曼說：“氣候變化導致的問題是，這些繁殖失敗和繁殖率低的年份現在正在變得長期存在。”
"There will be fewer young birds in the population that are able to recruit into the breeding population."
“能夠進行繁殖的幼鳥數量將會減少。”
Maine's puffins are the only breeding Atlantic puffins in the United States.
緬因州海雀是美國唯一可以進行繁殖的大西洋海雀。
Worldwide, the species lives in the North Atlantic from Maine and Canada to Europe.
在世界范圍內，該物種生活在從緬因州和加拿大到歐洲的北大西洋。
Other countries with large puffin populations, such as Iceland, have also seen their bird populations drop.
其他擁有大量海雀的國家，如冰島，鳥類數量也在下降。
The Maine puffin population once fell to only about 70 pairs in an area known as Matinicus Rock.
在一個被稱為馬蒂尼庫斯巖的地區(qū)，緬因州海雀的數量一度下降到只有70對左右。
Hunters who went after the birds for their meat and feathers had nearly destroyed them by the early 1900s.
到了20世紀初，獵殺海雀以獲取它們的肉和羽毛的獵人幾乎摧毀了它們。
Stephen Kress is a scientist with the Audubon Society who has sought to grow puffin colonies since the 1970s.
斯蒂芬·克雷斯是奧杜邦學會的一名科學家，自20世紀70年代以來，他一直在試圖培育海雀。
His attempts included moving young puffins from Canada to Eastern Egg Rock, another small island in the area.
他曾嘗試將小海雀從加拿大轉移到該地區(qū)的另一個小島東卵巖島。
Wildlife officials say adult birds in the colonies appear fairly strong, and it's "likely the population is stable, and it could still be growing," said Don Lyons.
野生動物官員表示，這些棲息地里的成年鳥看起來相當強壯，“數量很可能是穩(wěn)定的，而且可能還在增長，”唐·萊昂斯說。
He is the director of conservation science at the National Audubon Society's Seabird Institute in Bremen, Maine.
他是位于緬因州不來梅的美國奧杜邦學會海鳥研究所的保護科學主任。
The difficulties facing seabirds make successful breeding seasons especially important, said P. Dee Boersma.
博爾斯瑪說，海鳥面臨的困難使得成功的繁殖季節(jié)變得尤為重要。
She is a University of Washington professor of biology and director of the university's Center for Ecosystem Sentinels.
她是華盛頓大學生物學教授，也是該大學生態(tài)系統(tǒng)哨兵中心的主任。
"What that means is we should be more cautious and concerned about reproductive failures and things like that to make sure that in good years everyone that wants to has a chance to breed, and do well," Boersma said.
博爾斯瑪說：“這意味著我們應該更加謹慎和關注繁殖失敗之類的事情，以確保在好年景里，每只想要繁殖的鳥都有機會繁殖并狀況良好。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布萊恩·林恩為您播報。
譯文為可可英語翻譯，未經授權請勿轉載！
