VOA时事新闻2023 缅因州海雀数量正在恢复

（单词翻译）

Scientists studying the Atlantic puffin population off the coast of Maine say the birds are now recovering after suffering major losses in 2021.

研究缅因州沿海大西洋海雀的科学家表示，在2021年遭受重大损失后，这种鸟类目前正在恢复。

Atlantic puffins look and walk similarly to penguins¹.

大西洋海雀的长相和走路方式与企鹅相似。

Wildlife officials say reproductions for the animals on islands off the coast of Maine fell sharply² in 2021.

野生动物官员表示，2021年，缅因州沿海岛屿上的大西洋海雀的繁殖量急剧下降。

But last year, about two-thirds of puffins in the area produced young.

但去年，该地区约三分之二的海雀产下了幼崽。

While the numbers did not reach that same level this year, the birds still had a better year than in 2021.

虽然今年海雀的数量没有达到同样的水平，但今年海雀的繁殖状况仍然比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.

海雀数量减少的主要原因是其赖以为生的小鱼（如鲱鱼）的数量减少。

Two years ago, puffin colonies suffered one of the lowest reproduction rates in many years because of a lack of those fish.

两年前，由于缺乏这种鱼类，海雀的繁殖率达到了多年来最低水平之一。

Only about one-quarter of the birds were able to raise young in 2021.

2021年，只有大约四分之一的海雀能够繁育幼鸟。

Environmental groups have linked the lower fish populations in the area to warming ocean temperatures.

环保组织将该地区鱼类数量减少与海洋温度升高联系在一起。

The Gulf³ of Maine, which has puffin colonies on its islands, is warming faster than most of the world's oceans.

缅因湾的岛屿上有海雀的栖息地，缅因湾温度上升的速度比世界上大多数海洋都要快。

Some recent years have been especially warm and local climate officials have said this summer appears to have been "still unusually warm."

最近几年尤其温暖，当地气候官员表示，今年夏天似乎“仍然异常温暖”。

Bill Sydeman is the president and chief scientist at the Farallon Institute, a conservation organization based in California.

比尔·西德曼是总部设在加利福尼亚州的环保组织法拉隆研究所的主席兼首席科学家。

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 reproduce⁴, or breed.

他告诉美联社，海雀数量下降的原因包括致命的热浪、食物的减少、海平面上升导致的岛屿消失以及无法繁殖。

"The problem with climate change is these breeding failures and low breeding productivity⁵ years are now becoming chronic," Sydeman said.

西德曼说：“气候变化导致的问题是，这些繁殖失败和繁殖率低的年份现在正在变得长期存在。”

"There will be fewer young birds in the population that are able to recruit⁶ into the breeding population."

“能够进行繁殖的幼鸟数量将会减少。”

Maine's puffins are the only breeding Atlantic puffins in the United States.

缅因州海雀是美国唯一可以进行繁殖的大西洋海雀。

Worldwide, the species⁷ lives in the North Atlantic from Maine and Canada to Europe.

在世界范围内，该物种生活在从缅因州和加拿大到欧洲的北大西洋。

Other countries with large puffin populations, such as Iceland, have also seen their bird populations drop.

其他拥有大量海雀的国家，如冰岛，鸟类数量也在下降。

The Maine puffin population once fell to only about 70 pairs in an area known as Matinicus Rock.

在一个被称为马蒂尼库斯岩的地区，缅因州海雀的数量一度下降到只有70对左右。

Hunters who went after the birds for their meat and feathers had nearly destroyed them by the early 1900s.

到了20世纪初，猎杀海雀以获取它们的肉和羽毛的猎人几乎摧毁了它们。

Stephen Kress is a scientist with the Audubon Society who has sought to grow puffin colonies since the 1970s.

斯蒂芬·克雷斯是奥杜邦学会的一名科学家，自20世纪70年代以来，他一直在试图培育海雀。

His attempts included moving young puffins from Canada to Eastern Egg Rock, another small island in the area.

他曾尝试将小海雀从加拿大转移到该地区的另一个小岛东卵岩岛。

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.

野生动物官员表示，这些栖息地里的成年鸟看起来相当强壮，“数量很可能是稳定的，而且可能还在增长，”唐·莱昂斯说。

He is the director of conservation science at the National Audubon Society's Seabird Institute in Bremen, Maine.

他是位于缅因州不来梅的美国奥杜邦学会海鸟研究所的保护科学主任。

The difficulties facing seabirds make successful breeding seasons especially important, said P. Dee Boersma.

博尔斯玛说，海鸟面临的困难使得成功的繁殖季节变得尤为重要。

She is a University of Washington professor of biology and director of the university's Center for Ecosystem⁸ Sentinels.

她是华盛顿大学生物学教授，也是该大学生态系统哨兵中心的主任。

"What that means is we should be more cautious⁹ 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.

博尔斯玛说：“这意味着我们应该更加谨慎和关注繁殖失败之类的事情，以确保在好年景里，每只想要繁殖的鸟都有机会繁殖并状况良好。”