A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , 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.
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
Brian Robinson holding a herring dip net of forage fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Brian Robinson holding a herring dip net of forage fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging for fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging for fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre stands near the base of the Gull Island breeding colony in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2017. 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 stands near the base of the Gull Island breeding colony in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2017. 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 Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One of the murres standing next to egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One of the murres standing next to egg.
A Horned Puffin taking off from the water
A Horned Puffin taking off from the water
Large amount of Common Murres in the water
A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance near Gull Island.
A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance near Gull Island.
A Horned Puffin flying over the water
A Horned Puffin flying over the water
Schools (shadows along the shore) of Pacific sand lance in Cabin Bay, Prince William Sound
Schools (shadows along the shore) of Pacific sand lance in Cabin Bay, Prince William Sound
Three Arctic Terns sitting on a log floating in the water in Prince William Sound.
Three Arctic Terns sitting on a log floating in the water in Prince William Sound.
A Kittlitz’s Murrelet flying over waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska. You can see the reflection of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet in the water below.
A Kittlitz’s Murrelet flying over waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska. You can see the reflection of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet in the water below.
Brielle Heflin and Sarah Schoen catching forage fish with a cast net in Prince William Sound.
Brielle Heflin and Sarah Schoen catching forage fish with a cast net in Prince William Sound.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance
Black-legged Kittiwake captured 2 Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwake captured 2 Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance.
Scientist pulling in the beginning of the mid-water trawl on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Scientist pulling in the beginning of the mid-water trawl on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Scientists on the bow of the R/V Alaskan Gyre looking through binoculars
Scientists on the bow of the R/V Alaskan Gyre looking through binoculars
Euphausids (also known as krill) and a shrimp from a trawl catch. Some of the most important forage fish species in this region include Pacific capelin, sand lance, herring and, even though they aren’t fish, euphausiids (also known as krill).
Euphausids (also known as krill) and a shrimp from a trawl catch. Some of the most important forage fish species in this region include Pacific capelin, sand lance, herring and, even though they aren’t fish, euphausiids (also known as krill).
A view of the R/V Alaskan Gyre with a glacier in the background in Harriman Fjord in Prince William Sound, Alaska
A view of the R/V Alaskan Gyre with a glacier in the background in Harriman Fjord in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Best practices for assessing forage fish fisheries-seabird resource competition
Puffins reveal contrasting relationships between forage fish and ocean climate in the North Pacific
Influence of glacier runoff on ecosystem structure in Gulf of Alaska fjords
Testing the effectiveness of automated acoustic sensors for monitoring vocal activity of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus
User’s guide to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database 2.0
Icefield-to-ocean linkages across the northern Pacific coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem
Evidence for the assimilation of ancient glacier organic carbon in a proglacial stream food web
Fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning in Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nestlings, Alaska, USA
Identifying marine Important Bird Areas using at-sea survey data
Recolonization of the intertidal and shallow subtidal community following the 2008 eruption of Alaska’s Kasatochi Volcano
Energy cost of vessel disturbance to Kittlitz's Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris
Modeled distribution and abundance of a pelagic seabird reveal trends in relation to fisheries
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.
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
Brian Robinson holding a herring dip net of forage fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Brian Robinson holding a herring dip net of forage fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging for fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging for fish in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre stands near the base of the Gull Island breeding colony in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2017. 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 stands near the base of the Gull Island breeding colony in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2017. 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 Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One of the murres standing next to egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One of the murres standing next to egg.
A Horned Puffin taking off from the water
A Horned Puffin taking off from the water
Large amount of Common Murres in the water
A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance near Gull Island.
A flock of Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance near Gull Island.
A Horned Puffin flying over the water
A Horned Puffin flying over the water
Schools (shadows along the shore) of Pacific sand lance in Cabin Bay, Prince William Sound
Schools (shadows along the shore) of Pacific sand lance in Cabin Bay, Prince William Sound
Three Arctic Terns sitting on a log floating in the water in Prince William Sound.
Three Arctic Terns sitting on a log floating in the water in Prince William Sound.
A Kittlitz’s Murrelet flying over waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska. You can see the reflection of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet in the water below.
A Kittlitz’s Murrelet flying over waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska. You can see the reflection of the Kittlitz’s Murrelet in the water below.
Brielle Heflin and Sarah Schoen catching forage fish with a cast net in Prince William Sound.
Brielle Heflin and Sarah Schoen catching forage fish with a cast net in Prince William Sound.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance
Black-legged Kittiwake captured 2 Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwake captured 2 Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance.
Black-legged Kittiwakes foraging on Pacific sand lance.
Scientist pulling in the beginning of the mid-water trawl on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Scientist pulling in the beginning of the mid-water trawl on the R/V Alaskan Gyre
Scientists on the bow of the R/V Alaskan Gyre looking through binoculars
Scientists on the bow of the R/V Alaskan Gyre looking through binoculars
Euphausids (also known as krill) and a shrimp from a trawl catch. Some of the most important forage fish species in this region include Pacific capelin, sand lance, herring and, even though they aren’t fish, euphausiids (also known as krill).
Euphausids (also known as krill) and a shrimp from a trawl catch. Some of the most important forage fish species in this region include Pacific capelin, sand lance, herring and, even though they aren’t fish, euphausiids (also known as krill).
A view of the R/V Alaskan Gyre with a glacier in the background in Harriman Fjord in Prince William Sound, Alaska
A view of the R/V Alaskan Gyre with a glacier in the background in Harriman Fjord in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Best practices for assessing forage fish fisheries-seabird resource competition
Puffins reveal contrasting relationships between forage fish and ocean climate in the North Pacific
Influence of glacier runoff on ecosystem structure in Gulf of Alaska fjords
Testing the effectiveness of automated acoustic sensors for monitoring vocal activity of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus
User’s guide to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database 2.0
Icefield-to-ocean linkages across the northern Pacific coastal temperate rainforest ecosystem
Evidence for the assimilation of ancient glacier organic carbon in a proglacial stream food web
Fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning in Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nestlings, Alaska, USA
Identifying marine Important Bird Areas using at-sea survey data
Recolonization of the intertidal and shallow subtidal community following the 2008 eruption of Alaska’s Kasatochi Volcano
Energy cost of vessel disturbance to Kittlitz's Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris
Modeled distribution and abundance of a pelagic seabird reveal trends in relation to fisheries
Below are news items associated with this research.