The Current23:39How Newfoundland puffins repopulated Maine
The Atlantic puffin population in Maine is fairly stable today. But as recently as the 1970s, hunting had made the seabird nearly non-existent in the state.
Only 70 or so pairs lived on Matinicus Rock at the time, roughly 40 kilometres off the Maine coast.
“They used to breed on at least five other islands in Maine, but had not recolonized any of those islands on their own in about 100 years,” said Steve Kress, former executive director of the Audubon Society’s Seabird Institute.
Kress, who first encountered the seabirds on Machias Seal Island in New Brunswick, partnered with the
