Transcript Slide 1
A Story About Albatross Tracking their Travels and Tracking Plastic Trash © Sophie Webb 2004 “If we didn’t clean our shorelines, where could the litter go?” “How can your coastal cleanup efforts benefit these unique birds?” Seabird Diversity J. Harvey H. Nevins Alcid Petrel WWW.nzbirds.com Penguin Pelican H. Nevins Four main orders of seabirds: Sphenisciformes - Penguins Procellariiformes – Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Fulmars, & Petrels Pelecaniformes - Pelicans, Cormorants, Boobies, Frigate birds Charadriiformes - Gulls, Terns, & Alcids Seabird Feeding Methods FEEDERS Plunging (Ashmole 1971) What is a seabird? © J. Adams Diagram credit: Lars Löfgren © W.Henry Black-footed albatross Laysan albatross Photo credit: P.Pyle Unique characteristic of Procellariiformes? • Tubular nostrils – often called “tube-nosed seabirds” Black-footed albatross Sophie Webb Hyrenbach What seabirds What makes makes seabirds vulnerable? vulnerable? • Long-line and other fishery interactions • Oiling from oil spills Ebbert • Threats at colonies: introduced mammals, habitat destruction Photo: W. Henry • Marine debris What are some threats to seabirds? • entanglement What makes seabirds vulnerable? • Plastic ingestion Photo: Cynthia Vanderlip Seabirds most susceptible to plastic ingestion Saenz • Black-footed and Laysan Albatross Webb Saenz • Northern fulmar Photo credit: Kinnan Should contain: •50% fish •32% squid •5% crustaceans •10% stomach oil (Harrison et al. 1983 Fry 1987) Photo credit: Kinnan Analysis of Albatross Chick Boluses • Kure Atoll, Hawaiian Island Chain (Kinan 2000) – Analyzed 144 boluses from Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses – Plastic found in every single one (100%) Photo: C. Vanderlip Effects of plastic ingestion? • Large plastic items – ulcerations, infection & obstruction • Small plastic items – reduce meal size, dehydration Long-term effects of plastic ingestion? • Leaching of toxic chemicals from the plastic ? • Lower breeding success ? Where is marine debris found ? • everywhere - both marine and coastal environments • floating • water column • on the seabed • on beaches and shores (http://www.marine-litter.gpa.unep.org) 90% of floating marine debris is plastic 2.5 cm 1 inch Photos: Kathy Cousins / Irene Kinan How does plastic get into the sea? 1. Littering by beachgoers 2. Run-off from land e.g. rivers and storm drains 3. Direct dumping into the ocean 4. Accidental loss from ships 2. Run-off from land e.g. rivers and storm drains http://geosci.sfsu.edu/courses/geol102/ex6.html Major Ocean Currents North Pacific Gyre Alaskan Gyre 1 2 3 4 5 Shoe Spill May 27, 1990 250 recovered, March 26, 1991 200 recovered, May 18, 1991 100 recovered, Jan-Feb 1991 200 recovered, Nov.-Dec.1991 6 7 8 9 200 recovered Feb.Mar 1991 150 recovered April 1991 200 recovered May 1991 Several recovered Jan-Mar 1993 10 Predicted Jan-July 1994 Drifting Tots Tub Toys!!! Twelve years and counting: (http://www.beachcombers.org/) Dean Orbison January 10, 1992 2,200 miles adrift Sitka AK, Aug.- Sept., 1992 2004 – still finding them!! Algalita Marine Research Foundation “Eastern garbage patch” Learn more about studies of the Eastern / Western garbage patches conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation http://www.alguita.com/ Facts about Plastic in the Gyre (Algalita Marine Research Foundation) • 6 lbs of plastic for each pound of surface zooplankton in the North Pacific central Gyre • Plastic does not biodegrade; it’s broken down by sunlight into smaller pieces Do seabirds venture into this plastic zone? Danzenbacher Studying Albatrosses in California………….. Why research is needed? What will satellite tracking and remote sensing allow us to do? www.seaturtle.org www.signalsofspring.net/ METHODS Captured 18 birds within Cordell Bank NMS in July - Aug. 2004 & 2005 Equipped birds with Sirtrack Kiwisat 202 transmitters (54 g) Size: 7 x 4 x 2 cm Weight: 54 g Antenna: 18 cm Ready for release…….. Danzenbacher RESULTS OF 2004 TRACKING: Tracked albatrosses ventured outside of U.S. EEZ, with 61% locations in the high seas Three birds ranged into the western north Pacific Ocean, west of the dateline (180 o W) Unpublished data Hyrenbach et al. 2004 Black-footed Albatross tracks overlap with Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s “Eastern Garbage Patch” Unpublished data Hyrenbach et al. 2004 Pop Quiz !!!!! 1. What do albatross regurgitate? A bolus 2. How much of floating debris is plastic? 50% 90% 3. Most marine debris comes from land sources. True 20% or False 4. How is marine debris moved around bays and oceans? Winds & Currents 5. What seabird feeding method can result in eating lots of plastic? Diving for food 6. Why? Picking food from the ocean surface “If we didn’t clean our beaches, where could the litter go?” “How can your coastal cleanup efforts benefit these unique birds?” Solutions….. How can you be part of the solution? Photos courtesy Captain Charles Moore - AMRF Trash Monster!! Beach litter collected October-March 2003 Fort Ross to Rodeo Beach, California Artist: Keary Sorenson Acknowledgements & Credits Primary author: Carol Keiper, Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge This presentation is adapted from presentations funded by the California Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grant Program Contributing authors: Dr. David Hyrenbach, PhD, Duke University; Hannah Nevins & Michelle Hester, Oikonos-Ecosystem Knowledge; Cheryl Baduini, PhD, Claremont Colleges; Josh Adams, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories & USGS Jennifer Stock, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary; William Henry, University of California Santa Cruz; Captain Charles Moore, Algalita Marine Research Foundation Funding for Black-footed Albatross conservation research provided by National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Photos and Slides: P.Pyle, B.Saenz, B.Henry, S.Webb, D.Hyrenbach, M.Danzenbacher, J.Stock, H. Nevins, J. Adams, J. Harvey, C Vanderlip K.Cousins, I. 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