1. SEABIRDS POSTERS 3 - Seabirds as Indicators 2 - Seabird management and conservation

2. 2. Regurgitations: Short term prey composition 1. Stable isotopes: Trophic level & Inshore vs. offshore 3. Corticosterone: Long term energy balance Z Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks, Alexander Kitaysky *, Alan Springer & Justine Sears, Combined data suggest that Neocalanus is a better food source for LEAU, and when it was not available birds consumed euphausiids, hyperiids and crab juveniles, which, based on SIA data, appear to be at higher trophic level than Neocalanus. In 2003 and late July 2004, birds consumed high trophic level prey and experienced greater nutritional stress (elevated CORT). Whether the difference in LEAU CORT associated with different prey types is due to energy content or availability of prey remains undetermined. What kind and was it enough: Integrating stress physiology, stable isotopes and regurgitations to assess diet changes for Least auklets (Aethia pusilla) on St. Paul Island Funded by NPRB (#RO320) and Alaska EPSCoR (NSF #EPS-0346770)

3. Z Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks, Alexander Kitaysky *, Alan Springer & Justine Sears, What kind and was it enough: Integrating stress physiology, stable isotopes and regurgitations to assess diet changes for Least auklets (Aethia pusilla) on St. Paul Island Neocalanus is a better food source for LEAU than other taxa of zooplankton Alternate prey consumed by auklets were high trophic level taxa Birds experienced greater stress on diets of alternate prey Question of diet quality or quantity

4. Figure courtesy of J. Jahncke Marine Birds and Cetaceans: Indicators of Zooplankton Biomass Near the Pribilof Islands George Hunt, Jaime Jahncke, Ken Coyle, Jeff Napp, and David Hyrenbach Numbers of seabirds at sea within ~100 km of the Pribilof Islands

5. Marine Birds and Cetaceans: Indicators of Zooplankton Biomass Near the Pribilof Islands George Hunt, Jaime Jahncke, Ken Coyle, Jeff Napp, and David Hyrenbach Variable abundances of seabirds and cetaceans, late 1970s - early 2000s Proportional to abundance and community structure of zooplankton Physically driven by sea ice, water temperature, and stratification Possible implications on economically and ecologically important walleye pollock

6. The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) and community involvement (David G. Roseneau, Paul R. Becker, Steven J. Christopher, Glenn K. Chen, Rusty D. Day, Michael B. Ellisor, David Point, Rebecca S. Pugh, Kristin S. Simac, Stacy S. Vander Pol, and Geoffrey S. York).

7. Collaboration among FWS, USGS, NIST, BIA, 19 Alaskan communities Monitor long-term (100 y) trends in about 100 contaminants Use seabird eggs and tissues, primarily murres and gulls 22 seabird colonies Expanding public participation, a key element in success of program US and Russia

8. The Alaska Pelagic Seabird Observer Program, Year One by: Kathy Kuletz, Elizabeth Labunski, David Irons. U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska Common and Thick-billed murres Seabird survey transects, 2006 Photo: Paul Suchanek Laysan albatross

9. The Alaska Pelagic Seabird Observer Program, Year One by: Kathy Kuletz, Elizabeth Labunski, David Irons. U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska Need current information on the spatial and temporal distribution of birds at sea Supplements North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (historic data) Oceanographic and fisheries research vessels May - October 2006 logged 14,263 km of survey transects Numerous marine ecoregions

10. Protecting Aleutian Island Biodiversity: Island Habitat Restoration and Introduced Species Prevention Steve A. MacLean 1, Stacey Buckelew 2, Gregg Howald 2, Vernon Byrd 3 1 The Nature Conservancy 2 Island Conservation 3 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

11. Protecting Aleutian Island Biodiversity: Island Habitat Restoration and Introduced Species Prevention Steve A. MacLean 1, Stacey Buckelew 2, Gregg Howald 2, Vernon Byrd 3 Partnership with Fish and Wildlife Service and Island Conservation Integrated plan to eradicate rats from the Aleutian Islands and prevent introductions Approach is highly effective Need to protect non-target species such as certain landbirds

12. Seabirds as indicators Including how they use habitat Possible effects on populations of environmental variability PRESENTATIONS

13. Hot Oceanography A Seabird Story From The Pribilofs Alan Springer, Vern Byrd, and Sara Iverson August 2003 SST Anomaly

15. PDO VLF NO 3 PSU OCH CO 2 SST BFD

16. Whiskered Least Parakeet Crested Aethia Auklets Bob Pitman Brie Drummond

17. Auklet Size v Diet Body size Prey size 100 g 300 g Parakeet Crested Whiskered Least Euphausiids, Large Neocalanus, Much Other Large Neocalanus, Euphausiids, Small Neocalanus, Other Euphausiids, Large Neocalanus, Small Neocalanus, Other Small Neocalanus, Calanus, Large Neocalanus, Other

18. Major Least Auklet Colonies Summer diets typically dominated by Neocalanus and Calanus

19. “Historic” Least Auklet Diets on the Pribilofs YearDate/interval% Neocalanus% Calanus Source St. George 1977chick period 71not identifiedHunt et al. 1978 1984Mid-Jul - Early Aug "dominant""Roby and Brink 1986 1985Mid-Jul - Early Aug 51 27Bradstreet 1985 St. Paul 1976chick period <3 69Hunt et al. 1978 1977chick period 66not identifiedHunt et al. 1978 1992Mid-Jul - Early Aug 85-90 < 10Flint and Golovkin 2002

20. Least Auklets

22. St. George St. Paul Copepod mass % in diet

23. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 20:1n1120:1n920:5n322:1n1122:1n922:6n3 late early late early 2004: Mass % total fatty acids Copepod FA Biomarkers 2003:

24. Mean Salinity Below the Pycnocline July 26 - August 19, 2004 -172-171.5-171-170.5-170-169.5-169-168.5-168 56 56.2 56.4 56.6 56.8 57 57.2 57.4 57.6 57.8 58 31.6 31.7 31.8 31.9 32 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 32.6 32.7 32.8 32.9 33 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 Mean salinity blow the thermocline, showing the 32.4 isohaline dividing the shelf and oceanic zooplankton communities near the Pribilof Islands, July – August 2004. Dots indicate CTD station locations. From Coyle et al. (in press).

25. 20 60 40 80 100 0 Depth (m)

26. Group 2 Group 1 Station groupings from canonical correlation Distribution of CalVET station groups separated by canonical correlation comparing physical oceanographic parameters with abundance of the major zooplankton taxa on the southeastern Bering Sea shelf, July – August 2004. From Coyle et al. (in press). Group 3

27. From L. Eisner

28. M2 From P. Stabeno Integrated water column temperature

29. So What? Seabirds as Indicators Hot Oceanography - Temporal and Spatial Context

30. -2 -1.5 -.5 0.5 1 1.5 2 19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006 May SST Anomaly - SE Bering Sea Shelf Degrees C Copepods Gone by late Gone early Gone middle Present middle

31. Warmer Colder A Shifting Front?

33. So What? Seabirds as Seabirds Dietary Stress

34. Least Auklet Stress Index at St. Paul I. From M. Benowitz-Frederichs et al.

35. Acknowledgements North Pacific Research Board U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Marine Fisheries Service St. Paul I. Stewardship Program