Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The Tablelands of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, rise from the sea as dramatic testament to the theory of
plate tectonics.
COASTAL CLARIONS
HERRING GULLS
are ubiquitous along the Atlantic coast. The sight of them scavenging along shorelines and
around wharves, or trailing fishing boats in frenzied flocks, and the sound of their piercing, raucous cries, are
defining experiences of being on this coast.
Gulls were not always such a dominant presence, however. In 1900, a census of the Atlantic coast recorded
fewer than four thousand herring gull pairs—and those were only to be found in New Brunswick and eastern
Maine. Gulls were victims of a number of factors. Many fisher-farmer families still occupied the same offshore
islands preferred by gulls as breeding grounds, and egging and harvesting of gull chicks were part of a harsh
