Migratory Species: Working Together Towards a Vision for 2020,

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Seabird Conservation Activities in North America
Opportunities and Challenges for Management of
At-Sea Threats

• Migratory Species Working Together Towards a
  Vision for 2020,
• May 16, 2007
• Jennifer Wheeler,
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Birds
• Waterbird Conservation for the Americas

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Waterbird Conservation Council

• Waterbird Conservation Council is the steering
  body for the Waterbird Conservation for the
  Americas initiative
• Scope is seabirds and other aquatic birds in the
  Western Hemisphere current membership drawn from
  nations throughout the Americas as well as
  initiatives such as BirdLife International,
  WHSRN, CMS and Ramsar.
• Key outcomes of January 2007 meeting
• Intensified activities related to seabird
  conservation, and
• Creation of a task force to develop a strategy
  for Americas-wide conservation of waterbirds

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Seabirds 101

• Definitions, characteristics, and natural
  history
• Families
• Diomedeidae (albatrosses)
• Procellariidae (petrels, shearwaters, fulmars)
• Hydrobatidae (storm-petrels)
• Phaethontidae (tropicbirds)
• Sulidae (boobies and gannets)
• Fregatidae (frigatebirds)
• Alcidae (auklets, murres, puffins)
• Laridae (terns/noddies)

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Global Conservation Status

• Many are in decline and threatened with
  extinction
• Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, and
• Hydrobatidae make-up 45 of
• global seabird species and
• 74 of seabird species on IUCN Red List
• NAWCP Assessments -
• 100 highly imperiled and
• gt 80 of both highly imperiled
• AND high concern species fall
• within these families

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Overview of Threats

• impacts of non-native species on breeding grounds
• predation
• competition
• habitat alteration/loss
• disturbance
• fisheries interactions
• competition for prey
• incidental capture
• pollution (chronic and acute)
• oil
• biomagnification of contaminants in food web
• plastic debris
• ingestion
• entanglement
• global climate change

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By Sea Challenges and Opportunities in
Scienceand Policy
Photo by Mike Danzenbaker
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Science Distribution and Abundance

• ocean is not homogeneous
• seasonal usage
• foraging areas
• linkage with climatic-oceanographic conditions
• migratory routes

Cordell Bank
Kuletz and Irons 2007
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Science Tracking Ocean Wanderers
Images Courtesy of Hatfield Marine Science
Center, Oregon State University and U.S. Fish
Wildlife Service
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Science Impact of Fisheries

• nature of interactions
• direct (bycatch food subsidies)
• indirect (prey depletion, availability)
• type and location
• population-level impact?

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Science Whats Needed

• international national coordination of at-sea
  monitoring
• continent-wide seabird monitoring database
• monitoring programs to improve understanding of
  seabird population dynamics and trends

Photo by Peter LaTourrette

• assess the risk of seabird interactions in
  particular fisheries
• education and promotion designed to increase
  awareness and to stimulate solutions

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Policy Bycatch Other Threats

• Variety of Measures Available
• Authorities, Means
• Migratory Bird Treaties
• Endangered Species Laws
• Fisheries Management Laws
• Environmental Statues
• Protected Areas Legislation
• International Instruments

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Policy International Instruments

• 1990 UN global driftnet ban and 1995 FAO Code of
  Conduct
• 1999 FAO International Plan of Action Seabirds
• National Plans of Action Assess, mitigate, and
  plan future research
• Seven nations (and Taiwan) have NPOAs
• Implementation varies
• FAO and BLI will soon assist in the
• development of best practices
• guidelines
• 2004 Agreement on the Conservation
• of Albatrosses and Petrels
• Ongoing action within the RFMOs

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Policy Whats Needed

• Collaborate and coordinate efforts
  internationally, within an overall seabird
  conservation framework
• Address seabird needs and threats through
  education, capacity-building, and partnership as
  well as regulatory or intergovernmental
  mechanisms
• Establish an alliance which brings together the
  organizations and instruments in a holistic,
  integrated approach.

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Thank You
Photo Courtesy of Juan Fernandez Island
Conservancy
Jennifer_A_Wheeler_at_fws.gov www.waterbirdconservati
on.org