1. A Story About Albatross © Sophie Webb 2004 Tracking their Travels and Tracking Plastic Trash

2. “If we didn’t clean our shorelines, where could the litter go?” “How can your coastal clean- up efforts benefit these unique birds?”

3. Seabird Diversity Four main orders of seabirds: Sphenisciformes - Penguins Procellariiformes – Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Fulmars, & Petrels Pelecaniformes - Pelicans, Cormorants, Boobies, Frigate birds Charadriiformes - Gulls, Terns, & Alcids Penguin Petrel Pelican Alcid H. Nevins J. Harvey WWW.nzbirds.com

4. Seabird Feeding Methods (Ashmole 1971) Plunging FEEDERS

5. What is a seabird? © W.Henry © J. Adams Diagram credit: Lars Löfgren

6. Photo credit: P.Pyle Black-footed albatross Laysan albatross

7. Unique characteristic of Procellariiformes? Tubular nostrils – often called “tube-nosed seabirds”

8. Black-footed albatross Sophie Webb Hyrenbach

9. What makes seabirds vulnerable? Long-line and other fishery interactions Oiling from oil spills Threats at colonies: introduced mammals, habitat destruction Photo: W. Henry Ebbert Marine debris

10. What are some threats to seabirds? entanglement

11. What makes seabirds vulnerable? Photo: Cynthia Vanderlip Plastic ingestion

12. Seabirds most susceptible to plastic ingestion Saenz Black-footed and Laysan Albatross Northern fulmar Webb

14. Photo credit: Kinnan

15. Should contain: 50% fish 32% squid 5% crustaceans 10% stomach oil (Harrison et al. 1983 Fry 1987)

16. 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%)

17. Photo: C. Vanderlip

18. Effects of plastic ingestion? Large plastic items – ulcerations, infection & obstruction Small plastic items – reduce meal size, dehydration Leaching of toxic chemicals from the plastic ? Lower breeding success ? Long-term effects of plastic ingestion?

19. everywhere - both marine and coastal environments floating water column on the seabed on beaches and shores (http://www.marine-litter.gpa.unep.org)http://www.marine-litter.gpa.unep.org  Where is marine debris found ?

20. 90% of floating marine debris is plastic 2.5 cm 1 inch Photos: Kathy Cousins / Irene Kinan

21. 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

22. 2. Run-off from land e.g. rivers and storm drains http://geosci.sfsu.edu/courses/geol102/ex6.html

23. Major Ocean Currents North Pacific Gyre Alaskan Gyre

24. 1 Shoe Spill May 27, 1990 2 250 recovered, March 26, 1991 3 200 recovered, May 18, 1991 4 100 recovered, Jan-Feb 1991 5 200 recovered, Nov.-Dec.1991 6 200 recovered Feb.Mar 1991 7 150 recovered April 1991 8 200 recovered May 1991 9 Several recovered Jan-Mar 1993 10 Predicted Jan-July 1994

25. Drifting Tots Tub Toys!!! Twelve years and counting: (http://www.beachcombers.org/) January 10, 1992 Sitka AK, Aug.- Sept., 1992 2,200 miles adrift Dean Orbison 2004 – still finding them!!

26. Algalita Marine Research Foundation  Learn more about studies of the Eastern / Western garbage patches conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation http://www.alguita.com/http://www.alguita.com/ “Eastern garbage patch”

27. 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

28. Studying Albatrosses in California………….. Do seabirds venture into this plastic zone? Danzenbacher

29. Why research is needed? What will satellite tracking and remote sensing allow us to do? www.seaturtle.org www.signalsofspring.net/

30. METHODS  Captured 18 birds within Cordell Bank NMS in July - Aug. 2004 & 2005  Equipped birds with Sirtrack Kiwisat 202 transmitters (54 g)

31. Ready for release……..  Size: 7 x 4 x 2 cm  Weight: 54 g  Antenna: 18 cm Danzenbacher

32. 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

33. Black-footed Albatross tracks overlap with Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s “Eastern Garbage Patch” Unpublished data Hyrenbach et al. 2004

34. Pop Quiz !!!!! 1.What do albatross regurgitate? A bolus 2. How much of floating debris is plastic? 50% 90% 20% 3. Most marine debris comes from land sources. True 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 Picking food from the ocean surface 6. Why?

35. “If we didn’t clean our beaches, where could the litter go?” “How can your coastal clean- up efforts benefit these unique birds?”

36. Solutions….. How can you be part of the solution?

37. Photos courtesy Captain Charles Moore - AMRF

38. Trash Monster!! Artist: Keary Sorenson Beach litter collected October-March 2003 Fort Ross to Rodeo Beach, California

39. 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. Kinan, Myra Finkelstein

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