Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The availability of nesting habitat and suitable prey are important natural factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of marine birds. But seabird populations are also affected by human activities that have direct impacts (pollution, bycatch in fishing gear) and indirect effects (global warming alters food availability) on birds.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems
Roles and responsibilities of USGS and DOI in conservation of marine birds and mammals
The Department of Interior (DOI) is mandated by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act to conserve and protect all seabirds in U.S. waters up to 200 miles offshore. Additionally, the DOI is mandated to manage subsistence resources, including birds, under the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The DOI, through the NPS, has shared responsibility for Humpback Whales and other marine mammals mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), and specific regulatory and conservation authority within Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Monument, one of a few marine sanctuaries managed by DOI. Within DOI, the USGS has a responsibility to assist those DOI agencies with marine jurisdictions (NPS, USFWS, BOEM) by gathering and interpreting data on seabirds and other marine waterfowl, humpback whales and other marine mammals, and relevant components of their marine environments (such as forage fish, zooplankton, oceanography, toxins, etc.) that influence the status and trends of these protected marine animals.
Seabirds also serve as practical indicators of change in the marine environment— natural or human induced— because they can be readily monitored at colonies and at sea. For all these reasons, marine bird research is a vital part of the DOI mission in Alaska and the North Pacific. We study population biology and feeding ecology of a variety of seabird species, including threatened and endangered species. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates study of marine habitats and food webs so that we can better understand why seabird populations fluctuate over time. This website highlights some of the research conducted by the Seabird, Forage Fish and Marine Ecology Project at the Alaska Science Center.
Projects
-
Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
-
Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
-
Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill)
-
Harmful algal bloom toxins in Alaska seabirds
-
North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
-
Pacific Marine Heatwave
-
Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
-
USGS Research Vessel Alaskan Gyre
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave
Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators
Forecasting community reassembly using climate-linked spatio-temporal ecosystem models
Seabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems
Can oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird?
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
Algal toxins in Alaskan seabirds: Evaluating the role of saxitoxin and domoic acid in a large-scale die-off of Common Murres
Effects of ocean climate on the length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Biogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
Tracing biogeochemical subsidies from glacier runoff into Alaska's coastal marine food webs
Below are news items associated with this research.
Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The availability of nesting habitat and suitable prey are important natural factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of marine birds. But seabird populations are also affected by human activities that have direct impacts (pollution, bycatch in fishing gear) and indirect effects (global warming alters food availability) on birds.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems
Roles and responsibilities of USGS and DOI in conservation of marine birds and mammals
The Department of Interior (DOI) is mandated by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act to conserve and protect all seabirds in U.S. waters up to 200 miles offshore. Additionally, the DOI is mandated to manage subsistence resources, including birds, under the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The DOI, through the NPS, has shared responsibility for Humpback Whales and other marine mammals mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), and specific regulatory and conservation authority within Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Monument, one of a few marine sanctuaries managed by DOI. Within DOI, the USGS has a responsibility to assist those DOI agencies with marine jurisdictions (NPS, USFWS, BOEM) by gathering and interpreting data on seabirds and other marine waterfowl, humpback whales and other marine mammals, and relevant components of their marine environments (such as forage fish, zooplankton, oceanography, toxins, etc.) that influence the status and trends of these protected marine animals.
Seabirds also serve as practical indicators of change in the marine environment— natural or human induced— because they can be readily monitored at colonies and at sea. For all these reasons, marine bird research is a vital part of the DOI mission in Alaska and the North Pacific. We study population biology and feeding ecology of a variety of seabird species, including threatened and endangered species. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates study of marine habitats and food webs so that we can better understand why seabird populations fluctuate over time. This website highlights some of the research conducted by the Seabird, Forage Fish and Marine Ecology Project at the Alaska Science Center.
Projects
-
Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
-
Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
-
Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill)
-
Harmful algal bloom toxins in Alaska seabirds
-
North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
-
Pacific Marine Heatwave
-
Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
-
USGS Research Vessel Alaskan Gyre
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave
Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators
Forecasting community reassembly using climate-linked spatio-temporal ecosystem models
Seabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems
Can oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird?
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
Algal toxins in Alaskan seabirds: Evaluating the role of saxitoxin and domoic acid in a large-scale die-off of Common Murres
Effects of ocean climate on the length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Biogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
Tracing biogeochemical subsidies from glacier runoff into Alaska's coastal marine food webs
Below are news items associated with this research.