Common scoter  (Melanitta nigra)

In the last 25 years the UK breeding population of the common scoter has declined by over 50%, and it was completely lost from Northern Ireland by the early 1990s (3). There are thought to be a number of factors contributing to this decline. Wintering scoters are extremely vulnerable to oil spills; a single spill can affect very large numbers (6). Food availability is also an important factor (6), and increased competition for invertebrate food in breeding lakes may arise from increased fish stocking (3). As the breeding population is so low in the UK, predation can take a huge toll on the common scoter. Mink, foxes, otters, crows, magpies and even pike are all potential predators (5).

More than half of the British breeding population of common scoters occurs within protected areas. Other sites are proposed Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). An EU LIFE-Nature funded scheme to restore damaged peatlands, and the SNH Peatland Management Scheme operate in the breeding range of the common scoter; these should assist its conservation (3). Many conservation organisations have been lobbying for tighter restrictions on oil transportation around the coastline. The common scoter is a priority species under the UK biodiversity Action Plan. The Species Action Plan aims to increase the breeding population to 100 pairs by 2008 (3).