Breidafjordur

Logger deployments on common eiders in Breiðafjörður (65.081°N x 22.748°W) are mainly carried on three small islets: Landey (0.64 km2), Hjallsey (0.021 km2) and Stakksey (0.027 km2). Landey is adjacent to the west coast of the town of Stykkishólmur, West Iceland. The island‘s landscape is a mixture of hills, and lowland bogs, with a mixture of heath and grassland.

The island‘s vegetation is somewhat affected by the winter grazing of horses. The adjacent small islands Hjallsey and Stakksey (0.1 km north and east of Landey each) are also included.

Hjallsey is a mixture of grassland and marsh, whereas Stakksey is grassland. Common eiders nest both by the shoreline and inland in all three islands. Rough estimates for number of eider nests in 2015 were 200-250 nests in Landey, 30 nests in Hjallsey and 50-60 nests in Stakksey.A few hundred pairs of lesser black-backed gulls can be found breeding in these islets, 3-5 pairs of glaucous gulls, greater black-backed gulls, oystercatchers, whimbrels and greylag geese.

Common eiders have been completely protected from hunting in Iceland since 1849 and from egg collection since 1787 because of the economic importance of nest down collection for commercial purposes. Eider farming is regulated by Icelandic law no. 84/1989, for the purpose of which common eider is protected by law (currently no. 64/1994) from hunting and egg collection.

GLS Loggers have been deploymed on eiders in Snæfellsnes on behalf of SEATRACK since 2014.