Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century

Lewison, Rebecca L.; Oró, Daniel; Godley, Brendan J.; Underhill, Les G.; Bearhop, Stuart; Wilson, RP; Ainley, D. G.; Jm, Arcos; Boersma, P. Dee; Borboroglu, PG; Boulinier, Thierry; Frederiksen, Morten; Genovart, Meritxell; González‐Solís, Jacob; Green, James; Grémillet, David; Hamer, KC; Hilton, GM; Hyrenbach, K. David; Martínez‐Abraín, Alejandro; Montevecchi, WA; Phillips, R. A.; Ryan, P G; Sagar, Paul M.; Sydeman, WJ; Wanless, Sarah; Watanuki, Yutaka; Weimerskirch, Henri; Yorio, Pablo

doi:10.3354/esr00419

Cited by 159 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 324 publications

(297 reference statements)

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“…Incidental take estimates provide opportunities to implement approaches to mitigate seabird mortality. For some fisheries, effective mitigation is already identified (Løkkeborg 2011), but still remains an important issue to be resolved (Lewison et al 2012). Cooperation from industry for data collection, research to fill knowledge gaps and implementation of mitigation approaches will all be needed to conserve marine birds in Canada.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future work will require the development of models for mapping resource overlap between seabirds and marine industries that could be used to identify 'hotspots' of highest potential for conflict (e.g., Karpouzi et al 2007. The study of the spatial ecology of seabirds is therefore crucial for understanding impacts of marine based industries and will provide opportunities for developing marine protected areas, conservation action plans and species management (González-Solís and Shaffer 2009, Lewison et al 2012). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…al 2011, McFarlane Tranquilla et al 2013 and kittiwakes (Frederiksen et al 2012). Oiled murres and Dovekies (Alle alle), the species most susceptible to oil pollution, have been recorded in small numbers at offshore oil platforms .…”

Section: Platform Attractionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mortality of Migratory Birds from Marine Commercial Fisheries and Offshore Oil and Gas Production in Canada

Ellis¹,

Wilhelm²,

Hedd³

et al. 2013

ACE

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. 2013. Mortality of migratory birds from marine commercial fisheries and offshore oil and gas production in Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2): 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00589-080204 ABSTRACT. There is an imminent need for conservation and best-practice management efforts in marine ecosystems where global-scale declines in the biodiversity and biomass of large vertebrate predators are increasing and marine communities are being altered. We examine two marine-based industries that incidentally take migratory birds in Canada: (1) commercial fisheries, through bycatch, and (2) offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and production. We summarize information from the scientific literature and technical reports and also present new information from recently analyzed data to assess the magnitude and scope of mortality. Fisheries bycatch was responsible for the highest levels of incidental take of migratory bird species; estimated combined take in the longline, gillnet, and bottom otter trawl fisheries within the Atlantic, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Pacific regions was 2679 to 45,586 birds per year. For the offshore oil and gas sector, mortality estimates ranged from 188 to 4494 deaths per year due to the discharge of produced waters resulting in oil sheens and collisions with platforms and vessels; however these estimates for the oil and gas sector are based on many untested assumptions. In spite of the uncertainties, we feel levels of mortality from these two industries are unlikely to affect the marine bird community in Canada, but some effects on local populations from bycatch are likely. Further research and monitoring will be required to: (1) better estimate fisheriesrelated mortality for vulnerable species and populations that may be impacted by local fisheries, (2) determine the effects of oil sheens from produced waters, and attraction to platforms and associated mortality from collisions, sheens, and flaring, so that better estimates of mortality from the offshore oil and gas sector can be obtained, and (3) determine impacts associated with accidental spills, which are not included in our current assessment. With a better understanding of the direct mortality of marine birds from industry, appropriate mitigation and management actions can be implemented. Cooperation from industry for data collection, research to fill knowledge gaps, and implementation of mitigation approaches will all be needed to conserve marine birds in Canada.RÉSUMÉ. Dans les écosystèmes marins, le déclin de la biodiversité et de la biomasse des grands prédateurs vertébrés s'accentue à l'échelle globale et les communautés marines subissent de plus en plus de perturbations. Étant donné la situation, il est important de faire des efforts de conservation et de pratiques exemplaires de gestion pour ces écosystèmes. Nous avons examiné deux industries du milieu marin qui entraînent des prises accessoires d'oiseaux migrateurs au Canada : 1) la pêche commerciale; et 2) l'exploration, le développement et l'exploi...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mortality of Migratory Birds from Marine Commercial Fisheries and Offshore Oil and Gas Production in Canada

Ellis¹,

Wilhelm²,

Hedd³

et al. 2013

ACE

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“…At-sea mortality induced by industrial fishing has been identified as the main factor currently affecting seabird populations worldwide (Tuck et al 2001, Lewison et al 2012. In this context, conservation efforts in fishing practice and regulatory meas-ures have been undertaken and/or proposed to mitigate incidental seabird capture at sea (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stage-dependent distribution of the Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross in relation to Economic Exclusive Zones

Thiebot¹,

Delord²,

Marteau³

et al. 2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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Long-lived animals typically exhibit several stages throughout their life cycle during which their distribution may vary substantially, which may challenge the relevance of protection measures. Here we surveyed individual movements of the Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross from Amsterdam Island, southern Indian Ocean, throughout its life cycle. Our goal was to identify, from the areas visited by the albatrosses, which coastal states share responsibility in regulating industrial fishing in their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in order to promote the preservation of this species. Using stage-relevant tracking techniques (satellite tags, GPS and GLS loggers), we surveyed 361 at-sea trips by 93 individuals over 9 yr, covering incubation, brooding, chick-rearing, sabbatical, failed-breeding, juvenile and immature stages. Our data show that Amsterdam albatrosses exhibit a wide and variable foraging radius (from 326 ± 193 km during brooding to 5519 ± 766 km for immatures) and at-sea distribution across stages, putting them beyond the French EEZ of Amsterdam Island for all or part of the trips surveyed in each stage, and even outside the Indian Ocean when breeding. In all, the breeding versus non-breeding albatrosses visited the EEZs of 1 to 3 versus 3 to 4 countries, respectively. Only breeders visited the EEZs of Madagascar and Mauritius, while only non-breeders visited the EEZs of Australia, South Africa and Namibia. This study stresses the relevance to conservation of obtaining synoptic information on the distribution of threatened species, especially regarding the breeding versus nonbreeding categories of populations.

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“…Fisheries bycatch is recognized as perhaps the most serious global threat to highly migratory, long-lived marine taxa including turtles (Wallace et al 2010a, birds (Croxall et al 2012, Lewison et al 2012, mammals (Read et al 2006), and sharks (Dulvy et al 2008). Marine megafauna species are susceptible to fisheries bycatch because they occupy broad geographic distributions across geopolitical boundaries and oceanographic regions that support both small-and large-scale fisheries, and because their life histories (e.g., delayed maturity, low reproductive rates) make them particularly sensitive to sources of mortality that affect late life stages (Crouse et al 1987, Heppell et al 2005.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of fisheries bycatch on marine turtle populations worldwide: toward conservation and research priorities

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Fisheries bycatch is considered the most serious threat globally to long-lived marine megafauna (e.g., mammals, birds, turtles, elasmobranchs). However, bycatch assessments to date have not evaluated population-level bycatch impacts across fishing gears. Here, we provide the first global, multigear evaluation of population-level fisheries bycatch impacts for marine turtles. To compare bycatch impacts of multiple gears within and among marine turtle populations (or regional management units, RMUs), we compiled more than 1,800 records from over 230 sources of reported marine turtle bycatch in longline, net, and trawl fisheries worldwide that were published between 1990-2011. The highest bycatch rates and levels of observed effort for each gear category occurred in the East Pacific, Northwest and Southwest Atlantic, and Mediterranean regions, which were also the regions of highest data availability. Overall, available data were dominated by longline records (nearly 60% of all records), and were nonuniformly distributed, with significant data gaps around Africa, in the Indian Ocean, and Southeast Asia. We found that bycatch impact scores-which integrate information on bycatch rates, fishing effort, mortality rates, and body sizes (i.e., proxies for reproductive values) of turtles taken as bycatch-as well as mortality rates in particular, were significantly lower in longline fishing gear than in net and trawl fishing gears. Based on bycatch impact scores and RMU-specific population metrics, we identified the RMUs most and least threatened by bycatch globally, and found wide variation among species, regions, and gears within these classifications. The lack of regional or species-specific patterns in bycatch impacts across fishing gears suggests that gear types and RMUs in which bycatch has the highest impact depend on spatially-explicit overlaps of fisheries (e.g., gear characteristics, fishing practices, target species), marine turtle populations (e.g., conservation status, aggregation areas), and underlying habitat features (e.g., oceanographic conditions). Our study provides a blueprint both for prioritizing limited conservation resources toward managing fishing gears and practices with the highest population impacts on sea turtles and for enhancing data collection and reporting efforts.

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Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century

Cited by 159 publications

References 324 publications

Mortality of Migratory Birds from Marine Commercial Fisheries and Offshore Oil and Gas Production in Canada

Mortality of Migratory Birds from Marine Commercial Fisheries and Offshore Oil and Gas Production in Canada

Stage-dependent distribution of the Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross in relation to Economic Exclusive Zones

Impacts of fisheries bycatch on marine turtle populations worldwide: toward conservation and research priorities

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