PACIFIC SEABIRDS A Publication of the Pacific Seabird Group Volume 29 Number 2 Fall 2002 PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP Dedicated to the Study and Conservation of Pacific Seabirds and Their Environment The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) was formed in 1972 due to the need for better communication among Pacific seabird researchers. PSG provides a forum for the research activities of its members, promotes the conservation of seabirds, and informs members and the public of issues relating to Pacific Ocean seabirds and their environment. PSG holds annual meetings at which scientific papers and symposia are presented. The group’s publications include Pacific Seabirds (formerly the PSG Bulletin), Marine Ornithology (published jointly with the African Seabird Group and the Australasian Seabird Group), symposium volumes, and technical reports. 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Pacific Seabirds Submission Deadlines All items intended for publication in Pacific Seabirds must be received by The Editor or Associate Editor for Conservation prior to March 15 (Spring issue) and September 15 (Fall issue). Manuscripts may be submitted at any time. PACIFIC SEABIRDS A Publication of the Pacific Seabird Group Dedicated to the Study and Conservation of Pacific Seabirds and Their Environment Volume 29 2002 Number 2 Article Reports A New Method for Ageing Marbled Murreiets and the Effect on Productivity Estimates. By Linda L. Long, C. John Ralph, and Sherri I. Miller Caspian Tern Predation on Salmon Smolts in the Columbia River Estuary by Dan Roby, Ken Collis, Don Lyons, Rob Suryan, and Anne Mary Myers . Seabird Bycatch in Alaskan Set Gillnets. By Kathy Kuletz Seabirds and Fishing off Northwest Europe. By Mark Tasker . Line-setting Chute Evaluated for Hawaiian Fisheries. By Eric Gilman ... Conservation News PSG News Pacific Seabird Group Meeting, 19-22 February 2003 From the Editor: Changes in Pacific Seabirds Isles of Refuge Wins Award ........ Regional Reports Alaska Russia — ............ ............... Canada Oregon and Washington Northern California ................................... Southern California and Baja California ...... Hawai‘i and Pacific Rim Non-Pacific United States Old World: Svalbard Seabird News Torishima Eruption Spares Short-tailed Alabatarosses . Seabird Group Meeting ........... TVeasurer^s Report for 2002 General Information Correction ........... Information for Contributors to Pacific Seabirds,.,. Published Proceedings of PSG Symposia Pacific Seabird Group Committees ....... *••*•••»♦*■»♦■**♦*»•*#•*♦**•• PSG Life Members and Recipients of Awards Membership Application and Order Form PSG Executive Council 2002 .... 82 92 93 94 96 97 101 101 102 103 107 108 113 116 121 123 125 126 127 127 128 — 128 131 133 134 135 136 Inside Back Cover ARTICLES A NEW METHOD FOR AGEING MARBLED MURRELETS AND THE EFFECT ON PRODUCTIVITY ESTIMATES Linda L. Long, C. John Ralph, and Sherri L. Miller Abstract: Accurate knowledge of the number of newly-fledged juveniles offshom is critical to estimates of productivity of the threatened Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). We describe a method for collecting productivity data which allows researchers to objectively evaluate age determinations and their effect on juvenile percentages. This has the potential to reduce the effect of observer variability and the number of misidentified birds, especially late in the breeding season when adults in late pre-basic molt are very similar to juveniles. We analyzed the timing of this molt in adults, and found some variation between regions and years. Therefore, critical dates for identification of adults in late molt versus juvenUes may need to be reassessed annually. During our study, productivity estimates ranged from 1% to 1% juveniles. We used two methods for assessing the effect of missed juveniles. Even after adjusting for misclassified murrelets, die resulting juvenile percentages (1% to 17%) would suggest an unstable population in our study area. Key words: Marbled Murrelet, Brachyramphus marmoratus, productivity, juvenile, molt, ageing INTRODUCTION A measure of productivity is one of the vital components of a demographic model. Productivity of Marbled Murrelets {Brachyramphus marmoratus) has been estimated from the proportion of the newly-fledged young on the sea (Beissinger 1995, Ralph and Long 1995, Strong et al. 1995, Kuletz and Kendall 1998). It has been the only feasible way to estimate productivity, as nests are notoriously difficult to find and monitor. The newly-fledged young have a plumage that is dark above and light below, quite distinct from the mostly dark alternate plumage of the potentially breeding adult. We will address methods to improve the quality of age determinations and thus the estimates of productivity. A few critical factors influence correct identification of juveniles at sea, including observer variability, the stage of progression of pre-basic molt in adults, and the timing of fledging of juveniles. Young fledge rather asynchronously for a seabird, over a 24- week period in some areas (Hamer and Nelson 1995), therefore dark-and-light (basic- plumaged) birds can include both newly- fledged juveniles and adults in late pre- basic molt. Also, a small percentage (about 2% in Prince William Sound, Alaska) of adults may not molt into alternate plumage in the spring, but remain in basic plumage all year (Kuletz and Kendall 1998). Despite these uncertainties, counts of juveniles at sea form an important part of the basis for listing of the species as “threatened” (USFWS 1992), as they document the species’ apparent low reproductive rates (Beissinger 1995). Since 1993, we have been using and testing methods to evaluate murrelet plumage data. In this study, we evaluated observations taken by our observers. We describe and evaluate several factors that may influence the timing of adult molt and discuss their effect on correct identification of young and resulting productivity estimates. METHODS We collected plumage data on Marbled Murrelets during offshore surveys in northern California, from the Oregon border south to False Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County starting in 1994. Each year, we began collection of plumage data when the first dark-and- light murrelet was seen on the water, usually in mid-July. For analyses, we divided the field season into 10-day periods. Crews were trained in murrelet ageing criteria and adult molt patterns at the beginning of the survey season, using museum study skins and photographs of murrelet plumages. At sea, experienced observers trained the crews after the first juveniles and molting adults appeared on the water. Observers and drivers discussed the observations in order to increase consistency between observers. Data collection and ageing criteria We collected data on Marbled Murrelet plumages during line transect census surveys conducted at variable distances from shore. We collected data on the firet 5-10 birds encountered on each 2-km sampling unit. One observer recorded all data. When the bird was sighted, observers used binoculars to obtain the best view of the bird. The driver maneuvered the boat toward the bird to the closest distance possible without flushing the bird. We observed birds from a mean distance of 28 m (from 1 to 80 m), and a mean time of 15 seconds (minimum 1 second [breeding birds], maximum 5 minutes [dark-and-light birds]). After sufficient data were collected, the census survey resumed. For each bird, observer recorded data on four feather areas; the neck, sides, breast, and belly. Some areas were seen best during certain behaviors. The breast and beUy were most visible when the birds flapped their wings, and the Pacific Seabirds * Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 82 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets posterior portion of the belly was visible as birds dove. For each feather area, the observer recorded the percentage of the plumage that was dark, consisting of either blotches or fine markings. For example, a bird in full alternate (breeding) plumage with dark blotches covering most of the neck, would be scored 90% for that area. The observer estimated the percentage of dark by regarding the bird as if covered by a grid of 1-cm squares, each cell being approximately the size of one feather, and estimating the percentage of all the cells that were predominantly dark. The observer also recorded the presence or ab^nce of fine markings on the feathers, described as “speckling” by Carter and Stein (1995). For wing molt, we recorded: (1) the presence or absence of a gap in the flight feathers, which occum early in the molt sequence when the inner primaries (and/ or secondaries) are molting; and (2) wing shape, as either pointed (a normal wing) or blunt (when all of the outer primaries have molted later in the sequence) (Carter and Stein 1985). Other data were taken which might aid in identification of young birds. The observer recorded an individual’s size as the percentage relative to others in the group, with the largest in the group being 100%. When young fledge. Carter and Stein (1995) thought them to be about 70% of the size of an adult, thus potentially separable when accompanied by an adult. Other potential juvenile characteristics, such as egg tooth, bill coloration, or unusual behaviors, were also noted. Observers then recorded their appraisal of the type of plumage and stage of molt using the following plumage categories: B = breeding plumage, no molt; E = early molt, molt covers less than 50% of the body; M = mid-molt, molt covers more than 50% Table 1. Criteria for determining age of birds and quality of observation. Ageing criteria are listed in order of importance for assigning certainty levels for an age classification. For instance, a dark-and-light bird with blunt wings might be a “certain late- moit adult,” but one identified as a juvenile based mainly on its small size might be an “uncertain juvenile.” Few criteria are absolute (these are marked *), but each contributes to the overall quality of the observation. lA. Criteria for differentiating adults and juveniles Adult Juvenile Ageing criteria Wing: Gap in primaries or secondaries present* absent Tip shape blunt, paddle-shaped* pointed Breast, neck, side, or belly plumage: Characteristic of dark coloring blotchy* fine makings* Percent dark 0-95% 0-15%** Size (compared to accompanying bird) 100% <90% Criteria, by date, required to age dark-and-light birds Before 15 August plumage molt none, but certainty = “probable” without other criteria 15 August- 1 September plumage molt no wing molt, fine markings After 1 September plumage molt fine markings ‘Used as an absolute criterion for age if 0% dark and before 15 August, with full wings before 1 September, or if dark coloration is fine markings IB. Criteria for quality of observation Good Poor Length of observation (secs) >15 <15 Nearest distance to bini (m) <40 >40 Backlighting no yes View of bird firont, side back Pacific Seabirds • Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 83 ARTICLES “ Ageing Marbled Murrelets a Breeding pkimage O Early nnoit B Mldknc^ a UtemoK Figure 1 . Percentage of known adults in four plumage categories by 10-day periods during 1995-1998. Date is the beginning of each 10-day period, n = sample size. of the body, but easily distinguishable as a molting bird at a distance; L = late molt, bird appears as a bird in basic plumage at a distance, but stiU distinguishable as an adult by molt in the wings or belly; W = basic (winter) plumage, unidentifiable to age; or J = juvenile bird, in juvenal plumage (fine markings), or a basic- plumaged bird determined to be a juvenOe because of an early observation date (before August 15). Since up to 2% of adults may not molt out of basic plumage in some areas (Kuletz and Kendall 1998), juveniles aged by date alone were usually given a probable certainty level (see below). We have used plumage categories to age murrelets since we started collecting this type of data in 1993, and continued to refine them over the next two years. Quality of observations We recorded the viewing conditions to assess the quality of tl^ observation (Table 1). The observer recorded the closest distance to the bird while obtaining the majority of the data and an estimate of the total time that the bird’s plumage characteristics were visible. Observers also recorded if the bird was backlit during the entire observation. Based on the above data, as well as the overall amount and quality of information leading to the age determination, the observer recorded the certainty of the observation as definite, probable, or uncertain. Evaluation of observations Observations were later independently evaluated, using criteria similar to those used by the observers. The evaluator first considered ageing criteria, and then the quality of the observation (Table 1). We evaluated those birds that were most difficult to separate: juveniles, mid- and late-raolt adults, and winter-plumaged, unknown birds. We used two critical dates for ageing. Dark-and-light birds observed before 15 August, without other plumage information, such as blunt wings or darit blotches, were considered juveniles. This date was chosen because less than 3% of adults seen prior to 15 August were in late-molt plumage (Figure 1). After this date, we felt that juveniles needed at least one other plumage criterion to be aged, such as full wings (no gaps in primaries, pointed shape) or fine markings (Table 1). After 1 September, dark-and-light 18 123 525 256 218 386 315 90 Figure 2. Percentage of adults examined at sea during 1994-1999 showing wing gaps (inner primaries or secondaries molting) or blunt-shaped wing tips (outer primaries molting), or n - number of birds for which the presence or absence of gaps or the type of wing shape, r^^ctively, were recorded. Date is the beginning of each 10-day period. • Vnliimp* 78 Number 2 * Fall 2001* Page 84 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets birds were considered unknown-aged and in basic (winter) plumage, unless the observer recorded fine markings (a definite juvenile) or the last stage of adult molt (usually on the belly or in the wings). After this date, fuU wings on a dark-and-light bird were not considered indicative of juveniles, because adults could have completed wing molt. Wing molt can last as little as 45 days (Carter and Stein 1995), so the most conservative estimate for completion of wing molt would be about 1 September, 45 days after 14 July when wing gaps were first observed (Figure 2). In the evaluation of certainty levels, we considered approximately 15 seconds as an adequate time to age most birds (Table 1). Distances under 40 m gave the best viewing for plumage details. Backlighting was considered a negative factor since, with poor lighting, a late- molt adult could be mistaken for a breeding bird. Plumage details that were “absolute” (Table 1) increased the certainty level (such as fine markings for juveniles or wing molt for adults). Together, the quality of the observation and plumage category were used to assign a new certainty level. For instance, a 5-second observation, at >40 m from the observer, and backlit would be considered to have poor viewing conditions. However, if a gap in the wings was recorded, the evaluation would be a definite molting adult. T^le 2. Comparison of two methods for estimating misidentified juveniles late in se^n or om years. The first method calculates the percentage boundaries by mcludmg the unknown birds into either the total number of adults flower limit) ot juveniles (upper limit). The second method is based on Beissinger’s ( 1995 ) linear regression model of (he cumulative percentage of fledged birds. For this, we adjusted pe^c^mgT^O.?™*" = (rfd " ' Year Unadjusted percent juveniles Calculated percentage boundaries Linear regression 1994 6.8 6.4-13.1 10 1 1995 4.5 3..3-7.7 A V/* i 3 1* 1996 1.4 1.4 -3. 6 1 Q 1997 3.8 3.3 - 16.9 4.4 ^nod used, due to small sample size in 3-12 August period (n = 161 Adjusted percent of juveniles = percentage /0.9 1 . Statistical analyses Timing of adult molt—Th^ differences in timing of adult molt between years and regions might affect classification of juveniles and, therefore, our estimates of productivity. We compared the percentage of birds in late molt for all possible paired combinations of years (1995 vs. 1996, etc.) within Iff day periods, using the z-test for two independent percentages {P < 0.05, Hicks 1993:32) to test for differences between years. We also compared the percentage of birds in each stage of molt between north and south regions within Iffday periods. .We understand the inherent problems with possible interactions between two vanables (year or region with 10-day periods). However, percentage data have a binomial distribution and cannot be analyzed with regular ANOVA tests. After consultation, it was suggested we use this approach. Calculated upper and lower percentage boundaries — To assess the possible impact of adding unknown birds to the productivity index, we estimated the potential upper and lower boundaries of the percentage of juveniles in the population (Table 2). We calculated the upper boundary by including all the unknown birds as juveniles. For the lower boundary, we included all the unknown birds as adults. We did this for 1994-1997, the years that we evaluated observations. Adjusted percentages from regression Another method we used to assess the potential effect of misidentified juveniles was to base the percentage of juveniles on a period of the breeding season when few juveniles are misidentified. We used the 3-12 August period, the period just before the adult molt makes it difficult to age juveniles. From data on fledging dates (Nelson and Hamer 1995), Beissinger (1995) used linear regression (y = 0.012x -- 1.919; y ~ proportion of nests fledged, x = JuUan date) to estimate the cumulative proportion of nests fledged for each date of the season. We calculated 78% of young had fledged by the end of the selected period. We then adjusted the percentages for each year by dividing by RESULTS Progression of molt in adults We began offshore censuses by June from 1995-1998. We saw one unknown dark-and-light bird during censuses in late June 1997. In the other years, the first dark-and-light birds were observed in mid-July (Table 3). The timing of adult molt influences our ability to distinguish molting adults from juveniles, as the adults in late molt closely resemble juveniles. As expected, the proportion of molting adults in each successive molt stage generally formed a sequence through the season (Figure 1). The proportion of adults in breeding plumage declined rapidly after the end of July, and approached zero by late August The proportion of birds in early molt were highest in August In mid-July, some birds were already in mid-molt, the heaviest molt with most feather areas involved. This stage of molt peaked from the end of August into early September. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 85 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets 3. Dates of first dark-and-light birds observed on offshore surveys in northern 3 mia, 1995-1998, and observers’ classifications. All surveys began by 1 June lese years. Date Observers’ age classification 22 July juvenile (no plumage data) 14 July unknown (no plumage data) 26 June unknown (no plumage data) 14 July juvenile (fine markings) Its in the late stage of molt were first in early August By mid-September, 50% of the adults were in late molt Wing molt of the adults began in the r primaries and secondaries in mid- , when 10% of the adults were rded with wing gaps (Figure 2). This :ed in late August with almost 100% dults with wing gaps. The outer laries molted later, beginning around / August when about 10% of birds blunt wings. The proportion of adults h molt in the outer primaries inued to increase through September, As adults completed their molt, they became indistinguishable from many young. In this stage of plumage, both weie classified as “unknown-aged.” The proportion of unknown, basic-plumaged birds was low until mid-September, when they rapidly increased (Figure 3). Annual differences in adult molt Observations of adults in late molt (with mostly dark-and-light plumage) varied among years (Figure 4). In 1995, we observed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher percentage of adults in late molt ,URE 3. Cumulative percentage of basic-plumaged birds (1995-1997) and juveniles (1994- ?7) of all murrelets observed at sea in northern California. Basic-plumaged birds consisted unknown-aged and uncertain birds. Evaluated classifications were used for dark-and-light ds. Date is the beginning of each 10-day period, n - sample sise of observations at sea 95-1997. earlier in the year than in 1 996 and 1997, based on the 13-22 August sample. Adults molted later in 1996 compared to 1997, based on the lower percentage in early September. Regional differences in molt Adults appeared to molt earlier in the north (Crescent City to Klamath River) as compared to the south (Redwood Creek to False Cape Mendocino) (Figure 5). Specifically, in the north a significantly (P < 0.05) higher percentage of adults were in the final, late-molt stage, in three of the four time periods when late-molt adults were present. Conversely, the percentage of adults in early and mid-molt tended to be higher in the south over the five periods. Evaluation of age classifications Between 2 and 5% of the observations for ail age classifications were reclassified by the evaluator; however, between 6 and 58% of the juveniles were reclassified (Table 4). Reclassification changed the estimated percentage of juveniles in the population by only 0.3% for any one year, excefA 1997 (which changed by 1.5%), primarily due to the very low numbers of young. In some years, the number of birds misclassified by field observers could greatly change the estimate of percentage of juveniles (Table 4). In 1997, for example, we reclassified 34% of the juveniles (34 of 99). On the other hand, we did not reclassify similar numbers of adults and unknowns; only three adults and three unknown-aged birds were reclassified as juveniles. The overall result was a decrease of the original estimate, from 5.3% to 3.8%. Timing of fledging and unknown- aged murrelets As adults molt into basic plumage later in the year, juveniles can become indistinguishable from adults. If birds are still fledging as the adult molt is ending, we could be underestimating the productivity of the population. Juveniles Pacific Seabirds • Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 86 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets Figure 4. Percentage of late molt adults ± 5% C.I. by year and 10-day period for 1995-1997. Columns with different letters indicate a significant difference compared to other values in the same 10-day period (P < 0.05, z-test). n = number of adults of all molt stages observed. 80 3 Q < a: I § 40 ^ u. z in Q tc m 20 - a. 0 Mott stage ■. T) O ■§ 2 « in 24 Jut - 2 Aug I' I I I ^ NORTH 0 SOUTH |:i 3-12 Aug S ^ 3 13-22 Aug o ® 2 « 23 Aug - 1 Sep i 2 5 in 2-1 1 Sep Figure 5. Percentage of known adults in three plumage categories by north and south regions (±5% C.I.) and 10-day periods for 1996-1997 (no data were taken in the northern region for 1995). *P <0.05, z-test. were first seen in mid-July, and comprised of the population (Figure 3). We were able to age young through late September. In late July, we found the first basic- plumaged murrelets we were unable to age (<1%). These birds were usually classified as unknown-aged because of inadequate information on the bird or poor viewing conditions. Throughout August, about 5% of the population was unknown-aged birds, until late August when the proportion increased to 10%. After mid-September, unknown-aged basic-plumaged birds made up 70% of the population. Calculated upper and lower percentage boundaries — For 1994 and 1997, the upper boundaries were 13.1% and 16.9%, increases of 6.3% and 13.1%, respectively (Table 2). This was due to a high percentage of unknowns (6-13%) in September in these years. By contrast, the upper boundaries in 1995 and 1996 (7.7% and 3.6%) were much lower. Adjusted percentages from regression model — The resulting adjusted percentages of juveniles for each year ranged from 2% to 10% CTable 2 ). DISCUSSION Estimates of Marbled Murrelet productivity rely on the ability of observers to age birds correctly at sea. Our method of collecting plumage data allows for independent evaluation of observations to reduce observer variability. We can also track the timing of adult pre-basic molt, which may change between regions or years, and can influence an observer’s classification of murrelets. Studies that rely only on a determination of age made under field conditions, such as Strong’s (1998) method, without gathering information on ageing criteria and observation conditions do not allow for this later evaluation and quality control. Progression and timing of molt in adults Understanding molt chronology is essential to ageing birds correctly and using time efficiently in the field. We found that dark-and-Iight birds in July can bd aged as probable juveniles, be- cause all adults in our area appear to molt into alternate plumage, unlike in some areas where a few adults remain in basic plumage all year (Kuletz and Kendall 1998). As the molt progresses, a critical date based on the appearance of the earliest late-molt adults can be specified to begin collecting detailed plumage data on dark-and-light birds. This can make the time in the field more efficient early in the season as less time would need to Pacific Seabirds • Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 87 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets be spent on each bird when juveniles are easily identified. However, because we found some differences in the timing of adult molt between years and regions, we feel that critical dates should not be considered fixed even within a study area. These dates may need to be reassessed yearly for variations in the first or cumulative appearances of adults in late molt. If the dates are to be applied over a large study area, then a more conservative date might be used to avoid misclassification. Most importantly, field crews should be aware of the potential for dark-and-light adults in the late stages of molt to appear early, as well as winter-plumaged adults that did not molt into breeding plumage. Observers should gather adequate data for juvenile identification prior to the earliest records for late-molt adults for the area, in case adults molt early in a particular year. Reclassification of age categories We found the potential for incorrectly classifying juvenile birds was high. Between 15% and 50% of juveniles were reclassified as adults or unknown-aged birds when data were reevaluated. The plumage information we collected allowed us to reevaluate the field observations and provided a method of quality control for our age determinations. Studies that rely only on determination of age made under field conditions and without further documentation of ageing criteria do not allow for this evaluation and quality control. During often difficult field conditions, our method allows observers to concentrate on coUecting accurate plumage information on uncertain birds, rather than assessing all potential ageing criteria. By recording the extent of molt in each feather area and the observation conditions, we can later evaluate age determination and potentially reduce the effect of observer variability and the number of misclassified birds. Also, if future analyses reveal new information on the timing of adult molt, we can reexamine the observations. Timing of fledging and unknown-aged murrelets Misidentified juveniles~~U juveniles are not identified at the end of the season because they resemble adults in advanced molt, annual productivity will be underestimated. These juveniles may come from (1 ) juveniles that may be part of the 10% of the “unknown” population in late August (Figure 3) and about 15% of the nestlings remain to be fledged (Hamer and Nelson 1995), or (2) juveniles that fledge after 1 September when adults with completed molt are present. We used two different methods to attempt to adjust for possible missed juveniles: calculated upper and lower percentage boundaries, and adjusted percentage from Beissinger’s (1995) linear regression model. Results from the two methods used to adjust for misidentified juveniles differed greatly. The upper estimate from the calculated confidence limits was always greater than percentages adjusted using the linear regression (Table 2). Effect of misidentified juveniles — Even though we may be misidentifying up to 50% of the juvenile population, the adjusted percentages in the yeais of this smdy still would not result in an overall stable murrelet population according to Beissinger’s (1995) model. He estimated that 15-22% juveniles would be needed to stabilize the population, a 400% increase above our unadjusted yearly average of about 4% (Table 4). The upper confidence limits of only two of four years (1994 and 1997) were near or above the 15% lequired for stability. This may indicate that, in at least some years, the population could be doing better than unadjusted juvenile percentages would indicate. However, this method assumes that all of the unknown-aged birds in September were juveniles, and that a larger than expected proportion of juveniles fledged late in the season. By contrast, percentages adjusted by linear regression approached the level i^eded for stability only in one year, with 10.0% for 1994. Although this is higher than the unadjusted percentages, it still indicates a potentially declining population. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel, T. Shaw, D. Therry, and others, who participated in this cooperative project. We thank our field crews for their dedicated work, including B. Canon who helped with early evaluations of observations, J. Dahl, K. Hollinger, and B. O’Donnell. We thank D. Evans Mack, K. Kuletz, S. K. Nelson, and C. Strong for their reviews of the manuscript at various stages. We thank H. Stauffer and T. A. Matsumoto, who provided statistical counsel. LITERATURE CITED Beissinger, S.B. 1995. Population trends of the Marbled Murrelet projected from demographic analyses. P. 385- 394 in C.J. Ralph, G.L. Hunt, Jr., M.G. Raphael, and J.F. Piatt, technical editors. Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. Albany, CA. Carter, H.R. and J.L. Stein. 1995. Molts and plumages in the annual cycle of the Marbled Murrelet. P. 99-112 in C.J. Ralph, G.L. Hunt, Jr., M.G. Raphael, and J.F. Piatt, technical editors. Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. Albany, CA. Hamer, T.E. and S.K. Nelson. 1995. Nesting chronology of the Marbled Murrelet P. 49-56 in C.J. Ralph, G.L. Hunt, Jr., M.G. Raphael, and J.F. Piatt, technical, editors Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. Albany, CA. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2(X)1* Page 88 ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets Hicks, C. R- 1993. Fundamental concepts in the design of experiments. 4th edition. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 509 p. Kuletz, K.J. and S.J. Kendall. 1998. A productivity index for Marbled Murrelets in Alaska based on surveys at sea. J Wildl Manage 62:446-460. Ralph, C.J. and L.L. Long. 1995. Productivity of Marbled Murrelets in California from observations of young at sea. P 371-377 in C J. Ralph, G.L. Hunt, Jr., M.G. Raphael, and J.F. Piatt, technical editors. Ecology and conservation of the Marbled Murrelet. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. Albany, CA. Strong, C.S. 1998. Techniques for Marbled Murrelet age determination in the field. Pacific Seabirds 25:6-8. Strong, C.S., J. Jacobsen, D. Fix, and R. Le Valley. 1995. Distribution, population, and productivity of the Marbled Murrelet from vessel surveys of the northern California Coast in 1994. Final report to the Marbled Murrelet Study Trust, March 1995. Report supplied by the author. 27 p. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determination of threatened status for the Washington, Oregon, and California population of the marbled murrelet. Federal Register 57:45328-45337. Linda L. Long, C, John Ralph, and Sherri L. Miller, U.S. Forest ^rvice, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, 1700 Bayview Drive, Areata, California 95521, USA. Corresponding author. Linda L. Long; e-mail: Ulong@fs.fed.us [This is a peer-reviewed article.] Table 4. Comparison of observer s evaluation and classification of age by plumage to a later, independent evaluation based on plumage information gathered by observers, 1994-1997. All certainty levels are combined. ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murrelets On C^ CJ m S 2 cu o OO O VN 1-^0 0 O oo ^ r-J I a 3 NO ro m —f m NO On fO fO C4 Tt NO On On a § r- o c4 d d ON OO r-' ■i-H d d d o in — • m o so SO »n ’-H CM in CM — t o § i o Xi O d •I o d fD -e: o i w »n ON ON On On O I a => 2: c o B jd, 'a a 3 O a 3 3 X) O oo »n cn m »n (n T-^ d d d cri d On cn cn 00 d d cm' On CM —I in CO rij- ^ r-4 r— 4 T— 4 f-*( t-H On CM 00 d d GO *-H ON CM d »ri d ON '^1- O d d CO CO m CM in —t O CM in oo cn ^ 3 ■o C I 3 Pacific Seabirds • Volume 28, Number 2 • Fall 2001* Page 90 4 B. Effect of change in classification on estimate of percentage of juveniles observed ARTICLES - Ageing Marbled Murreiets r-- os Ob o\ Ob Ob Ob Ob Ob < 4 H 0-1 o M Q § I Oh o B 'Z 00 (N bO Ob CN| oo »o r-H Ob t QO cn 00 bo 00 —I 00 Ob 00 CO Ob T-t O Ob CO CO CO CO CO CO oo uo ^ ^ CO bO CO bo bd d in ci >» X3 'S o 00 C CO oq in in CO — i I— ( f-. bO Tt OO 00 T— I Ob Ob r' Tf CO r- o oo r-H bO E;^ cT d astai giUnet fisheries. Pages 161-184 in EE. Melvin and JJK. Parrish (editors). Se^ird bycatch; trends, roadblocks, and solutions. University of Alaska Sea Grant, AK-SG-01-01, Fairbanks. Rivera K.S., M.A. Perez, G. Balogh, S. Davis, and K.D. Wohl. Seabird bycatch in longline fisheries off Alaska; current es- timates and bycatch reduction efforts. Pacific Seabirds 28:51. (Abstract) US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. Beringian Seabird Colony Catalog: auto- mated database and archives. US F%h and ’Wldlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management Anchorage, Alaska. Wynne, K., D. Hicks, and N. Munro. 1992 . 1991 marine mammal observer program for the salmon driftnet fishery of Prince William Sound Alaska. Final report.. Saltwater Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. Available from National Marine Fisheries Service, Juneau, Alaska Kathy Kuletz, US Fish and Wild- life Service, 101 1 E. Tudor Rd., Anchor- age, AK 99503, USA; Kathy_Kuletz@- fws.gov. SEABIRDS AND FISHING OFF NORTHWEST EUROPE Mark Tasker Many will have read of the disas- trous state of fish stocks off northwest- ern Europe — and of proposals to close several fisheries. After considerable ne- gotiation and discussion, the following appears to be the situation for 2003. In autumn 2002, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the main scientific advisors to the European Commission, recom- mended closure of most fisheries target- ing cod off northwestern Europe, and severe restrictions on any other fisheries that took cod as a bycatch. This follows several years in which the cod stocks had shrunk in size to below “safe biological Mmits” and insufficient controls had been bought in on fishing. Stocks below “safe Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 94 REPORTS biological limits” are at high risk of col- lapse. In addition, similar restrictions were recommended for other stocks in similarly poor states. Such a recommendation was of course hugely controversial. Those fish- ers who would be affected by the clo- sures have been particularly vocal in their objections. Interestingly, fishers from Newfoundland, who have been affected by stock collapses on their side of the Atlantic, urged the “pain now, gain later” approach on their eastern Atlantic col- leagues. European fisheries are managed at the level of the European Union, This means that proposals for regulation are generated by the European administra- tors (the Commission), but decided upon by the European Council — a gathering of the relevant Ministers from each mem- ber state of the European Union. Need- less to say, politics play a big role at this level. The Commission did not follow the scientific advice, but instead proposed some large cuts, both in terms of total allowable catches (TAC) (really total al- lowable landings). More importantiy, in days of fishing allowed per month were reduced. This latter restriction has never been applied in European waters previ- ously; it has provided a loophole by which it is easier to cheat and has added to pressure on the stocks and environ- ment. The result was a cut by about half in the cod {Gadus morhua) TAC, and about a similar reduction in days at sea. Unfortunately, adherence by the Com- mission to scientific advice is variable — this is perhaps best illustrated with hake {Merluccius merlitccius), where the sci- entific advice pointed clearly at closure, but instead there was an 11 % increase in TAC! There is, however, no doubt that the incomes of fishers will be affected, nor that sizeable parts of the communi- ties dependent on fishing are going to have to look elsewhere for a living. Quite simply, there are not enough fish to sup- port the current industry, and recovery caruiot occur unless fishing pressure on stocks decreases. So what might be the effects on sea- birds? This is not straightforward, as sea- birds diets are very variable, depending as much on food availability as anything else. Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) are a good example — in the northern North Sea they dominate the scrum of seabirds around trawlers, where they concentrate in particular on offal (rather than discarded whole fish). A de- cline in landings of large fish means less offal, so we would expect fulmars to be affected. Sure enough, the latest (unpub- lished) results from counts at UK colo- nies reveal a levelling off or decline in this species since the last census 15 years ago — and this is a species that has been increasing almost exponentially for 150 years. However, we also know that the amount of their main invertebrate food Calanus has also declined, and that their principal summertime prey, sandeel (Ammodytes marinus), also have not been thriving near their main breeding colonies. Add to this a likely increase in the numbers of fulmars caught and drowned on longlines over the same pe- riod, and it becomes very difficult to dis- tinguish causes of the change in the ful- mar population trajectory. Other species feed more on dis- carded whole fish (usually undersized, i.e. below the legal si^ for retention and sale). The number of these discarded each year depends greatly on the profile of the various fish stocks being exploited Some fish species have intermittent “good” year classes, where many young fish sur- vive early life and begin to grow towards landable size. In other years, the cohort is much smaller. Unfortunately, if fish- ing continues while such large cohorts are growing, there comes a time when many are caught and killed, but cannot be landed because they are undersized for the market. Precisely this happened with haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinur^ a cod-like fish) in 2001, the most recent year for which we have good statistics. The 1999 year class was par- ticularly good, and consequently a stag- gering 118,000 tonnes of haddock were discarded, against a 40,000 tonne TAC. Thus in 2001, seabirds feeding on small discarded whole fish would have been well fed! This is one reason why changes in length of the fishing period affects sea- bird diets, compared with just cutting TAO—less overall fishing means less overall discard Discards are howev^ still viewed as “bad” As a consequence, the European Commission has recently published pro- posals to reduce (hoarding — including measures such as “land all that you catch.” My view is that discards are not necessarily bad — catching the under- sized fish in the first place is the real problem. Many larger fish (as weO as seabirds) feed on discards, and remov- ing this protein source from the sea (pos- sibly to be returned in elemental form as fertilizer, or via fish farm feedstuffs) is likely to further disrupt marine food webs. We can be sure that there will be changes in the amounts of waste gener- ated by the fishing industry in northwest- ern European waters — and it is very likely that this will have consequences for seabirds using this resource. How^ ever, since many populations of seabirds increased greatly in the 20'*' century, maybe such changes should not be viewed in an entirely negative light, so long as fisheries management is pro- gressing towards a more sustainable fu- ture. Mark Tasker, Joint Nature Conser- vancy Council, Dunnet House, 7 Thistle Place, Aberdeen ABIO lUZ, Scotland; tasker_m@jncc.gov.uk. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 95 V REPORTS LINE-SETTING CHUTE EVALUATED FOR HAWAIIAN FISHERIES Eric Gilman Of all the threats to seabirds, one of the most critical global problems is mor- tality in longline fisheries. The birds get hooked or entangled when gear is being set and are dragged underwater and drown as the fishing gear sinks. Avail- able estimates of total albatross mortal- ity in North Pacific pelagic longline fish- eries, along with population modeling experiments on the Black-footed Alba- tross, highlight the concern that mortal- ity in longline fisheries may threaten the existence of Black-footed Albatrosses and poses a significant threat to Laysan and Short-tailed Albatrosses. During 2002, a research team as- sessed the performance of an uncterwa- ter setting chute to determine if the de- vice is effective at avoiding incidental seabird capture and is practicable for use in the Hawaii longline fishery for tuna {Thunnus spp). The project was imple- mented through the collaboration of the Hawaii Longline Association, National Audubon Society, National Marine Fish- eries Service (NMFS), and consultants. Funding was provided by the Hawaii Longline Association, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, NMFS, National Audubon Society, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. The underwater setting chute for pelagic longline fisheries was first devel- oped in 1995. It is designed to release baited hooks underwater, out of sight and reach of foraging seabirds. It has been tested in New Zealand, and is currently undergoing trials in Australia’s tuna longline fleet A trial of the chute on a Hawaii mna longline vessel was com- pleted in March 2002. The chute used for the Hawaii trial is 9 meters long, and when it is deployed, 5.4 meters of the chute’s shaft is underwater. The chute has a slot to enable external deployment of the mainline, buoys, and radio beacons. Results from the short-term trial in Hawaii indicate that the chute will sig- nificantly reduce seabird mortality and increase fishing efficiency in the Hawaii longline tuna fleet. The chute eliminated seabird capture during this short-term trial. During control replicates, the cap- ture rate was 4.24 captures per 1000 hooks, and when normalized for alba- tross abundance, the seabird catch rate was 0.114 captures per 1000 hooks per albatross. Expressed as contacts per 1000 hooks, the chute was 98% effective at reducing albatross contacts with fishing gear compared to a control. Expressed as contacts per 1000 hooks per albatross (normalized for the average number of albatrosses present), the chute was 95% effective at reducing albatross contacts with fishing gear compared to a control. Based on an assessment of bait retention and hook setting interval when using the chute versus setting with conventional practices, vessels would experience a gain in efficiency of between 14.7% and 29.6% when abundant albatrosses are present, and an increase in efficiency of between 7.5% and 21.5% when no alba- trosses are present. Thirteen of 38 seabirds (34%) ob- served caught during setting were not hauled aboard, indicating that seabird catch rates based on the number of sea- birds recovered during the haul are un- deiestimates. There was a highly significant lin- ear correlation between albatross abun- dance and albatross contact with gear (r = 0.73, P < 0.01) and captures (r = 0.53, P < 0.001), which justifies normal- izing interaction rates for albatross abun- dance. Normalizing capture, contact, and attempt rates for seabird abundance al- lows for more meaningful comparisons between seabird interaction rates ob- served in different experiments. There was a highly significant lin- ear correlation between contacts and cap- tures (r = 0.84, P < 0.01). This implies that research on seabird detenent meth- ods could be designed so that bait is at- tached to gear with clips instead of hooks in order to minimize risks of injuring sea- birds during research, where observa- tions of contacts could be used to calcu- late capture rates under control and de- terrent treatments. Further analysis could be conducted to determine the best fit for modeling these relationships. Globally, most longline vessels probably do not employ effective seabird deterrents, despite the availability of ef- fective technology that also increases fishing efficiency. Reasons for this may be low industry awareness of the avail- ability, effectiveness, and practicability of the^ seabird deterrent methods; poor management framework, including lim- ited resources for enforcement; or lack of a strong economic incentive to change long-standing fishing practices. Seabird mitigation methods that can be demon- strated to significantly increase fishing efficiency, such as the underwater setting chute, have the highest chance of being accepted by industry as they provide a strong economic incentive for voluntary compliance. The underwater setting chute is the most effective technology tested to date in the Hawaii pelagic longline tuna fish- ery to minimize seabird capture, and the chute has the added benefit of increas- ing fishing efficiency, even in the absence of albatrosses. We are optimistic that the chute offers an effective and practicable solution to manage interactions between seabirds and the Hawaii longline fleet. Additional research and commercial demonstration of the underwater setting chute in the Hawaii longline tuna fisher- ies are planned during 2003; we also ex- pect to start tests in the longline sword- fish {Xiphias gladius) fishery, which uses shallower sets. To receive a copy of the project Fi- nal Report, please contact Eric Gilman, National Audubon Society (ericgilman@earthlink.net). Eric Gilman, National Audubon Society, Living Oceans Program, 2718 Napua'a Place, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; ericgilman@earthlink.net Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 96 CONSERVATION NEWS Compiled by Craig Harrison CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TENTATIVELY LISTS XANTUS’S MURRELETAS ENDANGERED In April 2002, the Pacific Seabird Group submitted a petition to list the Xantus’s Murrelet {Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) as an endangered species under California law (Pacific Seabirds 29:10, 2002). In October, the California Fish and Game Commission held a pub- lic hearing and granted the petition, thereby accepting the species as a candi- date for state listing. The Etepaxtment of Fish and Game has one year to further evaluate the status of Xantus’s Murrelets and determine if the action is warranted. During the candidacy period the murrelet will be treated as a state listed species. The Commission also adopted emer- gency regulations for the take of Xantus ’s Murrelets during the candidacy period. To reduce nighttime disturbance from light and noise near breeding colonies, the regulations authorize incidental take of Xantus’s Murrelets from nighttime (dusk to dawn) vessel operation in the Channel Islands, provided that vessels comply with the following conditions. From February 1 to July 15, within one nautical mile of Santa Barbara and Anacapa Islands, vessels may not engage in night fishing or night diving, may not use external loud speakers on vessels, must remain within designated anchor- ages or safe harbors except when tran- siting, and must limit their lighting to navigational lights necessary for safe operations. In addition, researchers studying Xantus’s Murrelets must sub- mit project progress reports to the De- partment. PENTAGON EXEMPTED FROM MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT In November, Congress enacted compromise legislation designed to pro- vide the Defense Department a broad exemption from the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects approximately 850 species of birds from harmful prac- tices. The act is only a partial victory for the Pentagon, which had sought exemp- tions from eight environmental laws, in- cluding the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Ma- rine Mammal Protection Act, on the grounds that compliance with these stat- utes interfered with military training ex- ercises. The agreement effectively allows bombing on 25 million acres of military- controlled land, which is habitat for mil- lions of migratory birds. The measure was contained in the $393-billion (tefense authorization bill, which approves funds for a variety of military programs. The Interior secretary must, within a year, promulgate regulations that will perma- nently exempt military readiness activi- ties from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Those rules must include provisions that require the military to take appropriate actions to avoid killing or harming mi- gratory binls, and to monitor the effect of this exemption. As reported previously (Pacific Sea- birds 29:10, 2002), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act had caused the Pentagon a headache since March, when a federal court ruled that the military must com- ply with the act. The Center for Biologi- cal Diversity had sued to enjoin naval bombing exercises on Farallon de Medinilla, an uninhabited 200-acre is- land in the Northern Mariana Islands. Among the birds killed during that train- ing were Micronesian megapodes {Megapodius laperouse laperouse, an endangered species), Great Frigatebiids {Fregata minor). Masked Boobies {Sula dactylatrd). Red-footed Boobies {Sula sula), and Brown Boobies {Sula leucogaster). This summer the General Account- ing Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, found little evidence that to support the Defense Department’s con- tention that environmental “encroach- ment” on training bases has hurt train- ing. The Navy’s Admiral William J. Fallon said environmental litigation has restricted training. He also said environ- mental groups use the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as “a vehicle for regulating a wide range of activities that affect nearly every species of bird.” Opponents of re- vising the environmental laws said they recognize the importance of military re^liness, but too much has been made of Farallon de Medinilla. Senior military officials point to examples of how envi- ronmental laws are affecting military activities. Protecting the California Gnat- catcher {Polioptila califomica) threatens the continued use of a weapons station at the naval range on San Clemente Is- land off southern California. Managing 14 “critical habitats” for various species is limiting the places where soldiers can camp, fire weapons, and dig at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. “It is true we have not documented any environmen- tal degradation” of the military’s ability to train, said the Army’s General John M. Keane, “but we ail know it’s true.” The GAO recommended that the Etefense Department form a plan to obtain better documentation of the problem of envi- ronmental encroachment on military training ranges. BLACK RATS ERADICATED ON ANACAPA ISLAND Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 97 CONSERVATION NEWS The restoration of the Channel Is- land ecosystem in California is a high conservation priority for PSG. Xantus's Murrelets and Ashy Storm-Petrels {Oceanodroma homochroa) seem threat- ened at every life stage by alien black rats {Rattus rattus) on their colonies. PSG supported the National Park Service’s project to remove black rats last year, in- cluding supporting comments when the project was challenged by animal rights groups in federal court. Phase I of the project was conducted in autumn 2001 and has appamntly been a great success on East Anacapa Island. Impacts on mi- gratory birds have b^n even less than anticipated, murrelet breeding success has already increa^d, and the endemic deer mouse population {Peromyscus maniculatus anacapae) has not been harmed. This summer PSG commented positively on the draft Migratory Bird Treaty Act permit to take migratory birds as part of Phase H of this project, which would attempt to eradicate rats from Middle and West Anacapa Island. This project has garnered the attention of the national press as a stand-off between con- servation groups that focus on traditional wildlife management and animal-rights activists who believe that this type of project is misguided or even “animal rac- ism.” Fortunately for Xantus’s Murrelets, they trump black rats in the Park Service’s view. PSG COMMENTS ON SQUID FISHERY PLAN Thanks to Bill Sydeman, PSG filed comments in July with the California Department of Fish and Game on a draft management plan for the commercial fishery on the market squid {Loligo opalescens). The draft plan is compre- hensive and includes information about ecologically dependent species in the California Current System, including seabirds. PSG noted that scientific stud- ies document the importance of market squid as food for most seabird species, particularly during faU and winter when squid comprises 50-80% of the diets. In addition, under environmental conditions such as moderate El Nino events, or when other prey such as juvenile rockfish are unavailable, seabirds may switch to squid even during the breeding season and con- sume it as 30 to 60% of their diets. The long-term viability of seabird populations depends on their ability to forage on market squid during fall and winter, and to be able to switch to market squid dur- ing the breeding season during times of food stress. PSG emphasized that the market squid fishery fluctuates in relation to en- vironmental variability, especially as evidenced during El Nino (low avaOabil- ity) and La Nina (high availability), when squid are either rare or abundant. Because of the boom and bust nature of the squid fishery, PSG recommended that fishery managers should set yields so that mar- ket squid are not over-fished during pe- riods of scarcity. For this reason, F^G objected to allowing catches equal to the maximum landings during cold-water La Nina conditions such as those in 1999- 2001. PSG urged the state to implement precautionary fisheries management and to drastically reduce landings during El Nino events. PSG also reminded the department of PSG’s concerns with respect to the effects of lights from the squid fishery on threatened and endangered seabirds that nest on the Chaimel Islands. Lights may have b^n responsible for the loss of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) on Anacapa Island and Xantus’s Murrelets on Santa Barbara Is- land in 1999. PSG reiterated its sugges- tion to close this fishery within one mile of sensitive colonies during the breed- ing season. HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN FOR KAUAI SEABIRDS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is applying for a grant to pre- pare a habitat conservation plan (HCP) for seabirds on Kauai under the Endan- gered Species Act, in cooperation with the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The grant would allow the State of Hawaii to hire a coordinator to facili- tate an island-wide, programmatic HCP to minimize and mitigate the s^bird take associated with urbanization. Concerns include power lines and cell phone tow- ers; birds hit these structures and fall to the ground (“fallout”), especially if they are disoriented by lights. Kauai Electric, the local utility company, has agreed to apply for an incidental take permit through development, funding, and implementation of a HCP for seabird take related to its power lines and facilities. Kauai Electric is working with USFWS to identify interim conservation measures while the power line HCP is being de- veloped; the company has already imple- mented some measures to rniniinize im- pacts, and has conducted some prelimi- nary surveys. If the grant to the State of Hawaii is awarded, the utility’s power line HCP will hkely be included in an overall, island-wide approach. There are provisions for public comment on draft HCPs before they are issued. GAO RECOMMENDS THAT U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE COMPLETE CRITICAL HABITAT GUIDANCE The GAO has stated that the USFWS should issue guidance for des- ignating critical habitats to protect endan- gered species. The report concluded that USFWS ’s inconsistent process for deter- mining critical habitat makes the agency vulnerable to lawsuits. The report, en- titled “Endangered Species Program: In- formation on How Funds Are Allocated and What Activities Are Emphasized” (GAO-02-581) can be found at http:// www.gao.gov. The investigators also concluded that if USFWS spent less time respond- ing to litigation, this would help reduce backlogs in the program and allow the Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2(X)2 • Page 98 CONSERVATION NEWS agency to conduct other listing activities, such as reviewing listing petitions and adding species at the greatest risk of ex- tinction. Recovery is the ultimate mis- sion of the endangered species program, and this goal and receives almost half of the program funds, yet employees state that they spend much less time on recov- ery of endangered species. Instead, their time is spent consulting with other fed- eral agencies over federally funded ac- tivities that could jeopardize the exist- ence of threatened or endangered species. REVAMP THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT? This summer the Council on Envi- ronmental Quality issued a Federal Reg- ister notice requesting comment on means to “improve and modernize” the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). A task force was formed to “seek ways to improve and modernize analyses and documentation and to fos- ter improved coordination among aU lev- els of government and the public.” NEPA, enacted in 1970, requires any fed- eral agency that is contemplating a ma- jor action to first complete an environ- mental impact statement (EIS). The pub- lic must have an opportunity to comment on proposed actions before they are un- dertaken. Some environmental groups think that this seemingly innocuous task force signals an assault on NEPA. For example, the Interior Department, reacting to some disastrous forest fires this summer, pro- posed a forest protection plan that would waive some NEPA requirements for log- ging programs. In addition, the Navy is refusing to undertake analyses of the en- vironmental impacte of its use of a sonar technology on marine mammals and other aquatic life that may be harmed by the technology. Industry has commented that regu- latory changes are needed to ensure that NEPA is implemented in a fair and timely manner. For example, it was suggested that there be time limits for completion of environmental assessments and EISs, and that constraints be imposed on the number of pages in EISs and the number of alternatives that can be included. Some industry participants complained that the “short form” environmental assessments have become almost as lengthy, time- consuming, and expensive to prepare as full-blown environmental impact state- ments. One suggestion was to allow ap- plicants to prepare draft environmental impact statements for agency review and possible adoption, which currently is not allowed. Among the larger concerns that sur- faced is the contention that cumulative impact analysis has been taken to ex- tremes, including the evaluation of im- pacts far afield from the project. In addi- tion, the strategy of adaptive manage- ment, which allows approval of an ac- tion with an uncertain environmental outcome if accompanied by environmen- tal parameters and monitoring, has sub- jected some projects to an open-ended regulatory process that is never con- cluded. and expanded so that the lagoon can have better flushing. Friends of Colorado Lagoon, a grassroots group, is suggesting alterna- tives; these can be seen at http:// www.coloradolagoon.org/. The lagoon already has a problem with low oxygen content and algal overgrowth because of the restricted flushing to the ocean. Ad- ditional runoff would pour petroleum byproducts from streets into the lagoon, forming an oily layer on top of most of it — ^Patricia Baird STORM WATER THREATENS SEABIRDS IN ALAMITOS BAY, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA The City of Long Beach is planning to ftmnel its storm water into Colorado Lagoon, which is the terminus of Aiamitos Bay and is the last remaining near-natural wetland in Long Beach. With very constricted tidal flushing be- tween the lagoon and Aiamitos Bay, the amount of runoff during heavy rains is projected to overwhelm the bay’s hydrol- ogy and alter the marine ecosystem. Brown Pelicans and California Least Terns (Sterna antillarum) feed in Aiamitos Bay, together with a myriad of other shorebird and seabird species. Even without an increased amount of polluted street runoff entering the lagoon, the cur- rent tidal gate system needs to be updated NMFS RELEASES FLAWED CASPIAN TERN PREDATION REPORT The National Marine Fisheries Ser- vice (NMFS) released its report entitled “Caspian Tem Predation on Salmon and Steelhead S molts in the Columbia River Estuary.” The report can be seen at http:/ /WWW, nwr.noaa. go v/ 1 habcon/habweb/ default2.html. Ignoring most of PSG’s comments on its draft report, NMFS con- cludes that Caspian Terns (Sterna caspia) are inhibiting the recovery of listed salmon species and steelhead. NMFS concludes that eliminating the tern colony at East Sand Island would yield similar population recovery to dam pas sage or harvest restrictions. The report assumes that there is no compensatory mortality, so that there is a direct rela- tionship between the number of smolts saved from terns and the number of re- turning adults — an assumption that has generated considerable controversy within the scientific community. USFWS ISSUES DRAFT SITE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR CASPIAN TERNS In late October, USFWS completed a draft site feasibility study for new Caspian Tern colonies in the Pacific Northwest. This study was required Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 99 CONSERVATION NEWS deral government’s settlement tient with conservation organiza- who had sued over the iment’s failure to prepare an envi- ntal impact statement (Pacific Sea- >7:65, 2001 and 27:23, 2000). The t can be seen at http:// atorybirds.pacific.fws.gov/ j_new.htm. The study describes 76 ind asks for public comment on might be the most feasible. After Lents have been evaluated, USFWS boose sites and experimental man- mt actions, which will be imple- ;d in 2003 and 2004. This is a sen- process; statements by the National le Fisheries Service and some fish- roups have created a negative cli- which may encourage strong op- on from local fishermen, and they ry to block any efforts to establish rolonies or restore old ones. 1 COMMENTS ON ’WS REPORT ON TUS ASSESSMENT [) CONSERVATION OF 5PIAN TERNS JSFWS has released its “Status ;ssment and Conservation mmendations for the Caspian Tern 3ith America,” which may be seen p://pacificbirds.fws.gov. Thanks to d Ainley, I^G commented on a draft e report. It is an impressive review he status, conservation, and agement issues for this species. We i that the US breeding population of 38 pairs is not very large on a inental scale, and that the Pacific t population (14,534 pairs) may be numerous than the federally- angered Brown Pelican. Among ’s conservation recommendations is ponal survey or analysis to show (1) orical breeding sites, (2) sites ently used, and (3) what needs to be ; to insure a well-distributed regional ulation (i.e., public acquisition of e sites and social attraction at othere). i also suggested research on meta- ulation dynamics and demography, in order to (tefine better what constitutes a Caspian Tern “population.” NEW OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASE PLANS The Interior Department has laid out a five-year program to tap offshore oil and gas fields in the United States, an- nouncing drilling opportunities in the western Guff of Mexico and expanded opportunities offshore of Alaska. The lease sale program would make available 10-21 billion barrels of oil and 40-60 tril- lion cubic feet of natural gas — enough oil to fuel every commercial and private vehicle in the US for up to five years, and enough gas to heat and cool and run appliances for every US home for three years. The plan relies on the Gulf of Mexico to produce the most of the fuel. Alaska environmentalists have objected to drilling in the Cook Inlet and the Chukchi Sea. The Chukchi Sea is thought to hold 61 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that is recoverable using conven- tional methods. Although petroleum companies have declined to enter into leases there in the past, the offer is being extended again in hopes that the possi- bility of an Arctic gas pipeline will lure them in. Local communities have ex- pressed concern about expanded drilling in the Chukchi Sea, but officials say they have taken special care to exclude ^nsi- tive areas. There is a new leasing ap- proach in the Chukchi Sea, Hope Basin, and the Norton Basin to meet such con- cerns. Under that approach, a sale will be allowed only if a company nominates an “environmentally acceptable” tract. If no such tracts are nominated, the sale will be postponed one year and the process will start again. OCEANIC FLYWAY WORKING GROUP PSG members Kent Wohl and Tara Zimmerman went to Raratonga, Qook Islands, this summer to discuss creation of an oceanic fly way. The goal would be better management of Bristle-thighed Curlews {Numenius tahitiensis), other shorebirds, and seabirds. The meeting was convened by South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). One result was the proposed creation of a World Heritage Site of Central Pacific Islands and waters spanning thousands of miles. It would include Palmyra Atoll in the north, Kiridmati (Christmas Island) in the middle, and one of the northern Cook Islands at the southern end. PREDATOR REMOVAL ON OCEANIC ISLANDS Dick Anderson of the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme and New Zealand Department of Conserva- tion has surmounted many obstacles to eradicate Pacific rats {Rattus exulans) from an islet on Kiritimati, Kiribati (Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean). A major colony of Phoenix Petrels (Pterodroma alba) there was in danger of extirpation (Pacific Seabirds 29:14, 2002). Another New Zealander, Brian Bell of Wildlife Management Inc., has been working with his team at Ascension Island in the Atlantic to eradicate cats. Beil reports they are down to the last wily felines at this historically important sea- bird colony. RATS AND SEABIRDS ON KISKA ISLAND, ALASKA PSG member Ian Jones has devel- oped a website detailing his team’s work at Kiska Island to determine the levels of Norway rat {Rattus norvegicus) jfa«- dation and impacts to the gigantic auklet colony there. The URL for the site is http://www.mun.ca/acwern/ Kiska2002.html. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 100 CONSERVATION NEWS CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE: ERADICATING INVASIVE SPECIES ‘Turning the Tide: The Eradication of Invasive Species” presents 424 pages of papers from a conference. The volume, edited by Dick Veitch and Mick Clout, contains 52 papers and 21 abstracts. The book can be obtained by mail from: Dick Veitch, 48 Manse Road, Papakura, New Zealand; e-mail dveitch@kiwiiink.co.nz. Veitch’s inter- national phone/fax number is 64-9-298- 5775; within New Zealand, dial 09-298- 5775. The cost is NZi$55.00. Postage is additional; sample postage costs are: New Zealand $5.00, Australia NZ$31 .00, USA NZ$35.00, UK NZ$55.00. Payment in New Zealand dollars must reach Veitch’s address before 31 March 2003. Payment can be made by Mastercard or Visa. Each order should include a postal address. The volume may also be purchased from lUCN Publications Services Unit, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, United Kingdom; their interna- tional phone number is 44-1223-277894, fax 44-1223-277175, e-mail books@iucn.org. They should have stocks by the end of January 2003. De- tails are on lUCN’s web page at http:// www.iucn.org/bookstore. PSG NEWS PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP MEETING 19-22 FEBRUARY 2003 The Pacific Seabird Group will hold its 30®“ meeting in beautiful ParksvUle, British Columbia at Tigh-Na-Mara Re- sort (the name is Gaelic for “by the sea”) from 19 through 22 February 2003. The meeting will feature a symposium on Seabird Biogeography, and there will be three plenary speakers: David Cairns, Helen James, and Robert Ricklefs. There will be field trips to Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve, Baynes Sound, Carmanah Rainforest, and an ocean tour to the Winchelsea/Ballenas Archipelago. Parksville is located on Vancouver Is- land, 30 minutes north of Nanaimo and 2 hours north of Victoria by road. Visi- tors can fly to Vancouver, Victoria or Seattle and take the BC or Washington State ferry systems to Nanaimo or Victoria, The meeting will take place at the resort. There are many choices for accommodation, ranging from rustic log cabins to executive suites; most have kitchenettes and fireplaces. Accommo- dation will be assigned on a fiist-come- first-served basis. There is also a fine restaurant at the resort. To reserve accom- modation, contact the resort directly. The web site for Tigh-Na-Mara is www.tigh- na-mara.com; e-mail info@tigh-na- mara.com; telephone (800) 663 7373. To register for the conference online, foUow the links under upcoming events at www.sfii.ca/bioiogy/wildberg. Early registration (before 16 January 2003) is Can$2(X).00 for regular members and Can$100.00 for student members. Late registration (after 15 January 2003) will be Can$250.(X) for regular members and Can$ 125.00 for student members. (Note that all fees are in Canadian dollars.) Lunch is included with the registration fee. Student travel awards are available (see the web site). For those who wish to register offline, the appropriate forms can be obtained from the web site and sent to Shelagh Bucknell, Canadian Wildlife Service, 5421 Roberston Rd., R.R. #1, Delta, B.C, V4K 3N2, Canada. The dead- line for abstracts is 1 December 2002. For information regarding the sci- entific program contact Dr. David Irons (907) 786 3376; email David_lrons@- fws.gov. For general information or in- quiries, refer to the web site or contact Shelagh Bucknell at (604) 940 4642; e- mail shelagh.bucknell@ec.gc.ca. We look forward to seeing you at the 30* meeting in Parksville, BC. FROM THE EDITOR: CHANGES IN PACIFIC SEABIRDS Pacific Seabirds is undergoing a feW changes, some of which will be notice- PSG NEWS ble and others not Tlte fall 2002 issue is e first to be produced with Adobe ageMaker, a dedicated desktop-publish- g program. This program should have veral advantages: the firm that prints the ^Journal can make plates directly from my documents, which should reduce PSG’s fprinting costs; it will make the process of laying out each issue quicker and more flexible; and it may facilitate putting Pa- cific Seabirds on our Web site. Ail this should make the switch to PageMaker worthwhile (although I’ve wondered at times, as my learning curve for this issue has stretched on...) Hopefully the journal will look essen- tially the same. The published pages may look slightly different; for some obscure reason, switching layout programs also meant I had to switch fonts, from “Times New Roman” to “Times.” One change that is being discussed by the Executive Council is publishing Pacific Seabirds on the Web. Many would probably like to see the journal on our Web site. The big question is whether electronic publication should replace the hard-copy version you receive in the mail. What is your preference? Please let the editor or your regional representative know — your opinion may determine what we decide. A note on the content of Pacific Sea- birds: I believe that the fall 2002 issue is an example of what this journal does best It contains a peer-reviewed article and four short reports, all on topics of cur- rent interest to seabird biologists of the Pacific Run. I would like to continue this balance in the future. The reports by Gilman and by Roby et al. were origi- nally in regional reports, but they seemed long and complete enough to merit pub- lication on their own (after extra editing and another review by the authors). The article by Linda Long et al. deals with techniques of particular interest to sea- bird scientists and conservationists on the Pacific Coast, which is exactly the type of manuscript that Pacific Seabirds wel- comes. (Articles of primary interest to a national or international readership are directed to Marine Ornithology, the jour- nal that PSG publishes jointly with the African Seabird Group.) A few remarks to Pacific Seabirds' contributors: First, thank you to aU au- thor and regional representatives who sent material — Pacific Seabirds depends on you. Second, please continue send- ing material in Microsoft Word, which is great for editing, even though it’s tem- peramental for layout. (I can translate from other programs, however.) And Fd like to request full disclo- sure of your professional secrets: please provide the scientific name for each spe- cies and the full name behind each acro- nym. Even if “everyone” knows what WAES or a Bosun Bird is, editorial stan- dards say that the journal has to provide a definition or Latin name. It is no trouble to delete this information if I don’t need it, but it can take a lot of time and effort to track it down! — Vivian Mendenhall ISLES OF REFUGE WINS AWARD The Hawai’i Book Publishers Asso- ciation has honored Mark Rauzon’s Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with one of its Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards for 2002. The award was given on 18 Octo- ber at the Hawai'i State Library in Ho- nolulu. Isles of Refuge won the award in the category for Excellence in Writing Nonfiction. The book also received hon- orable mention in two additional catego- ries: Excellence in Natural Science and Excellence in Illustration. Isles of Refuge was reviewed in Pa- cific Seabirds 28:104 (2001). Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 * Fall 2002 • Page 102 REGIONAL REPORTS Regional reports summarize seabird work of interest to PSG members. Reports generallv are organized by location of the work rather than by affiliation of the biologist. ^ ALASKA Summarized by Verena A. Gill Beaufort and Chukchi Seas In September Bob Day of Alaska Biological Research Inc. (ABR), aided by John Rose, Alice Stickney, Julie Parrett, and John Shook, used ornitho- logical radar and night-vision equipment to conduct a second year of studies of bird migration and development of an anti-collision lighting system for migrat- ing birds, especially eiders, at Northstar Island, a man-made oil-production island near Prudhoe Bay. Betty Anderson of ABR completed the 10* year of research on Spectacled (Somateria fischeri) and King eiders (S. spectabilis) in the Kupanik Oilfield in Northern Alaska. In addition to aerial and ground-based sur- veys to determine population trends and nesting success, time-lapse cameras and temperature thermistors were used to monitor incubating females and record predation events. Charles (Rick) Johnson (ABR) continued his long-term monitoring studies of Spectacled and King eiders on the North Slope of Alaska, on the Colville River Delta (11 years) and in the National Petroleum Reserve— Alaska (3 years). Study components in- cluded aerial surveys for breeding pairs and broods, nest searches, and monitor- ing of nesting success. ConocoPhillips, Inc supported these studies. Bob Ritchie and Jim King (ABR) completed their 4th year of aerial surveys for Steller’s {Folysticta stelleri) and Spectacled eiders near Barrow, Alaska. Bob Ritchie also conducted searches for nesting Steller’s and Spectacled Eiders at several Long Range Radar Sites on the North Slope for the U.S. Air Force. Steve Murphy and Charles (Terry) Schick (ABR) re- turned for a second year of aerial and ground surveys for Spectacled and Steller’s eiders at coastal and inland sites for Anadarko Petroleum, Co. Jim Lovvom’s group from the Uni- versity of Wyoming continued studies of wintering Spectacled Eiders; see the re- port for the non-Pacific US. Dave Roseneau and Jim Schnee- weis continued Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR)’s annual monitoring of seabirds nesting at Cape Lisbume in July and August. Bering Sea The Gambell and Savoonga Native Corporations cooperated with David Irons of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Dan Roby of Oregon State University (OSU) to monitor seabirds on St. Lawrence Island. Adrian Gall and Lisa Sheffield arrived in Savoonga on June 17, 2002 and joined Brandon Waghiyi for the third season of fieldwork. Victor Zubakin (victor@zubakin.msk.ru), visiting ornithologist from the Russian Academy of Sciences, arrived from Moscow on June 20*. The St. Lawrence crew monitored population indices and productivity of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)^ Common Murres {Uria aalge), and Thick-billed Murres (U, lomvia) on established plots 10 km west of Savoonga. It was difficult to determine precise fledging success for the cliff nestera due to raging 50-mph winds that buffeted the plots for four days during peak fledging. The crew also monitored colony attendance, breeding success, and diet composition of Least Auklets {Aethia pusilld) and Crested Auklets (A. cristate lla) at the Kitnik colony 4 km east of Savoonga. Breeding adults during the laying and early incubation period were collected to determine body composition. Zubakin evaluated methods for counting auklets from June through August. The anklet research will contribute to the Seabird Monitoring Database and be used for GalFs MSc thesis. Gall, Sheffield, Waghiyi, and Zubakin were invited by teacher Brad Billings to speak with his 10* grade life and earth science classes at Hogarth Kingeekut Memorial School. Students learned to collect morphometric data from frozen birds. Also on St. Lawrence Island, Bob Day of ABR, assisted by John Rose and Julie Parrett, used ornithological radar and night-vision equipment to study movements and collision potential of Spectacled Eiders and other sea ducks at Gambell. during October. Mary Cody (USFWS) and Steve Rice of the Alaska Department of Hsh and Game (ADF&G), with assistance from Joe Meehan (ADF&G), April Alexei and Tim Dyasuk (both student interns with the Bristol Bay Native Association) monitored Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Murre, and Pelagic Cormorant {Phalacrocorax pelagicus) populations and productivity at Round Island in the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary. Rice, with assistance from Meehan, completed his third field- season investigating Northern Raven {Corvus corax) predation on these seabird species at Round Island. Art Sowls (AMNWR) led biologists in various projects on HaU Island (in the St. Matthew Group) during July. Work included 8-day census plots for Black- legged Kittiwake, Thick-billed Murre, Common Murre, Northern Fulmar {Fulmaris glacialis), and Pelagic Ckiimo- rant. Crew members were Anne Morkhill and Martha Hatch (AMNWR), Paula White (University of REGIONAL REPORTS - Alaska California at Berkeley), Scott Hatch and Verena Gill of the U.S. Geological Sur- vey, Alaska Biological Science Center (ABSQ, and Alexander Kitaysky of the University of Washington (UW). Kityaysky will move soon to the Uni- versity of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). AMNWR also continued the Seabird Marine Mammal and Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (SMMOCI) by surveying Norton Sound. This project includes recording seabird distribution at sea around annual monitoring sites, with simultaneous surveys of sea temperature, salinity, and biomass of prey. This year they surveyed transits near Nome with a large crew that included Don Dragoo, Vernon Byrd, Jeff Williams, Doug Palmer, Barry Sampson, Karen Boylan, Gary Drew, John Piatt, Deb Rudis, Brenda Holladay, Kitty Mecklenburg, Mike Palmer, and Alan Springer. In addition, Byrd and Dragoo surveyed seabirds on refuge islets in Safety Sound and at Topkok Head near Bluff. Springer and Piatt also collected blood samples from Bluff birds for a wide-ranging survey of stress in seabirds being conducted by Kitaysky. Ed Murphy from UAF monitored numbers and breeding performance of murres and kittiwakes at bluff briefly in midseason. AMNWR staff continued long-term monitoring piojects on the Pribilof Is- lands from May until late August. The monitoring program includes collecting data annually on timing of nesting events, reproductive success, adult survival, chick growth, and food habits. Art Sowls, Becky Howard, Jim Snowden, Tonia Bittner, and Naomi Sugimura conducted studies on St. Paul Island. Heather Moore, WUI Boyd, and Julie Snorek were on St. George Island from May until August. In addition, Lisa Scharf and Dave Kuehn spent July on St. George helping conduct population counts of ledge nesting seabirds, which are carried out every three years. Seabird surveys were conducted during a short visit to Bogoslof Island in July. Art Sowls, Anne Morkill, Jeff Williams, Martha Hatch, and Debbie Rocque (AMNWR), Scott Hatch and Verena Gill (ABSC), Alan Springer (UAF), Alexander Kitaysky (UW), and Judy Alderson of the National Park Ser- vice (NPS) conducted stress hormone work with murres and kittiwakes, evalu- ated reproductive success of kittiwakes, and surveyed Tufted Puffin {Fratercula cirrhatd) plots for a population trend in- dex. Aleutian Islands Staff at the AMNWR continued their annual monitoring work on several Aleu- tian Islands. Jeff Williams led seabird work on Kasatochi and Buldir Islands. Field crews on Kasatochi Island included Sarah Syria and Allison Stover, and those on Buldir included Erica Sommer , TVevor Joyce, and Nikolai Konyukhov (konyukhov@goi.ru). Konyukhov con- tinued his studies of diurnal and seasonal patterns of colony attendance in the Para- keet Auklet (Aethia psittacula) and Homed Puffin {Fratercula corniculata) on Buldir Island from 26 May until 4 September. This year observations were focused on Homed Puffin attendance patterns. A digital time-lapse camera was placed at last year’s plot During the in- cubation period. Homed Puffins began to attend the breeding colony by 0800 and numbers gradually increased throughout the day until about 1900, when a peak in attendance began. This peak lasted until about 2300. During the chick-reading period puffins also had a similar pattern; however, with the short- ening of daylight hours, the morning presence at colonies became later and the evening peak earlier. Dennis Wynn and Debbie Dykstra conducted seabird population and pro- ductivity work on Aiktak Island from May until September. Introduced Arctic foxes {Alopex lagopus) were removed from Adak Island in the central Aleutians. Tanaga and Amlia islands were searched for sign of foxes that might have survived earlier eradication efforts. The fox projects were conducted this year by AMNWR employees Steve Ebbert, Greg Thomson, and Lisa Scharf, with the assistance of a crew from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Ser- vices: Sherman Anderson, Rick Ellis, Gerald Masolini, Peter Masolini, Jerry Morrill, Joseph Orsini, Dave Sinnett, David Sonneborne, Jon Spiegel, and David Tresham. A tour of Shemya, Kiska, Rat and Kavalga Islands was con- ducted by Art Sowls, Ebbert, and Peter Donlevy for Steve Talbot, Karen Murphy, EPA registration specialists Bill Jacobs and William Erikson, and Gregg Howald of the Island Conserva- tion and Ecology Group. The trip served as a workshop to plan rodent eradication for the conservation of seabirds on these and other infested refuge islands. Ian Jones and Heather Major also partici- pated. A previously undetected colony of roof rats {Rattus rattus) was discovered on Shemya Island during this trip. A pre- fox removal bird survey was conducted at Avatanak Island. Vernon Byrd, Jeff Williams, Steve Ebbert, Catherine Berg, and several Aleut interns from Unalaska conducted seabird and teires- trial bird surveys. Gulf of Alaska AMNWR staff initiated an annual monitoring project on Chowiet Island in the Semidi group. A new cabin was con- structed on Chowiet to facilitate the long- term seabird monitoring program on that island. This year’s field crew was on Chowiet from early May through mid September, and included Shiway Wang, Dave Oleszczuk, and Allyson Lamed. Wang began collecting prey and subcu- taneous fat samples from fulmars and puffins for a possible graduate research project involving fatty acid signature analyses. Arthur Kettle, Greg Thomson, Rachel Orben, and Amy Baton conducted seabird monitoring on East Amatuli Island in the Barren Islands group from late July through early Sep- tember. Steve Ebbert of USFWS and Aren Eddingsaas of Idaho State Univer- sity collected Arctic ground squirrels {Citellus parryi) from Chowiet, Chinkof, Cold Bay, Kodiak, Ugashat, Unalaska, and Kavalga Islands. These specimens will be used to understand the distribu- tion of ground squirrels on refuge islands, and to resolve questions about where this REGIONAL REPORTS - Alaska sp^ies was introduced during the Rus- sian occupation of Alaska or later. Woric began on removing over 1000 wild cattle from Chirikof Island this year for the res- toration of that island for seabirds. Tim Jacobson of Herd Management LLC built corrals and fences to facilitate the live capture and shipping of cattle by September 2002. Scott Hatch, Verena Gill, Naomi Bargmann (ABSQ and a sizable sup- porting cast (Christy Hand, Brooke Krolick, Rick Milligan, Marie-Line Gentes, Mama Tierney, and Liz Boldt) continued seabird research and monitor- ing on Middleton Island in 2002. Supple- mental feeding of Black-legged Kitti- wakes at the tower colony continues, but the birds show declining interest in our offerings, as Mother Nature is setting a better table each spring in the northern Gulf of Alaska. For 6 weeks in June-July, the crew hosted Julien Gasparini (University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France), who investigated the immuno- competence of fed and unfed kittiwake chicks. University of Alaska Fairbanks re- searchers Loren Buck, Dean Kildaw, and MS students Katie Murra and Bieok Gamble conducted a second sea- son of seabird studies m Chiniak Bay on Kodiak Island. Their research is one com- ponent of the multi-disciplinary Gulf Apex Predator-Prey project (GAP). The work is coordinated with synoptic hydroacoustic, trawl and nearshore as- sessments of prey availabUity headed by Robert Foy (UAF), and with research on marine mammals lead by Kate Wynne (UAF). GAP seabird research is focused on productivity, diets, and nest- ling growth of Black-legged Kittiwakes, Tufted Puffins, and Glaucous-winged Gulls {Larus glaucenscens). In coDabo- ration with David Irons and Kent Wohl (USFWS, Migratory Bird Management), GAP initiated a program to monitor the at-sea distribution of marine birds, in addition to continuing long-term popu- lation and productivity monitoring efforts of cliff-nesting kittiwakes, cormorants and murres in Chiniak Bay. Katie Murra’s MS project addresses the influ- ence of diet and foraging ai^as (deter- mined via radiotelemetry) on kittiwake breeding biology. MS student Brook Gamble collected preliminary data on Glaucous- winged Gulls this summer and will refine her research interests over the winter. Cory WBliams was a member of the field crew this past summer and will join the project as a new Ph.D. student in 2003 to work with Tufted Puffins. A preliminary summary of the Chiniak Bay seabird story is as follows: Productivity of kittiwakes, Glaucous- winged GuUs, and puffins in Chiniak Bay was exceptionally high in 2(X)1, but less so in 2002. Sandlance (Ammodytes hexaptera) and, to a lesser extent, cape- lin {Mallotus villosus) dominated the diet of all thr^ species in 2001 . In 2002 cape- lin were more prevalent in the diets of all three species ,but less feeding activ- ity was observed within the confines of the bay. These observations suggest that near-shore sandlance schools were less abundant within the bay m 2002, and that birds foraged farther from breeding colo- nies where they encountered more cape- lin. Data analysis is in progress. Also on Kodiak, Shawn Stephensen (USFWS) led a trip to the western coast of the island and offshore islets to survey tern {Sterna sp.) colonies. He was assisted by Denny Zwiefelhofer (Kodiak National Wildlife Reftige) and Leslie Slater (AMNWR). USFWS, with funding from the Spe- cies at Risk (S AR) program managed by Tony DeGange, sponsored two surveys to update counts of Kittlitz’s Murrelets {Brachyramphus brevirostris). This work repeated surveys of in the early 1990s in two reparate areas of the Gulf of Alaska: the southern Kenai Peninsula and the outer Yakutat-Malaspina Forelands. The Kenai Fjords survey covered 25% of the fjords coastline, including Kenai Fjords National Park It was led by John Piatt and Tom VanPelt (ABSC), with help from Jane Reid (University of British Columbia), Nadine Parker (Simon Frarer University), and Jared Figurski (PISCO). The Forelands survey included about 80 km of exposed coast, and added intensive coverage of Icy Bay, which is surrounded by ice fields northwest of the Forelands. The Forelands/Icy survey was a multi-agency effort. Two offices of USFWS participated: Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage (Kathy Kuletz), and Southeast Alaska Ecologi- cal Services, Juneau (organized by Midielle Kissling and Steve Brockman, with assistance by Debra Rudis and Ed Grossman). They were joined by Ma- son Reid of the Wrangell-St. Elias Na- tional Park, which surrounding much of that coast, and Debra Nigro of Yukon- Charlie National Park, which generously allowed her to contribute her murrclet expertise. Data collected at both Kenai Fjords and the Malaspina Forelands showed declines in Kittlitz’s Murrelets, which is consistent with apparent trends in Prince Viliam Sound and Glacier Bay. On the positive side. Icy Bay har- bored an unusually high density of Kittlitz’s Murrelets, equivalent in esti- mated population ('-2200 birds) to cur- rent estimates for Prince William Sound and Glacier Bay. Next summer, USFWS and the NFS hope to survey the coast south of Yakutat to Cross Sound (near Glacier Bay), the last large expanse of glacially-affected coast bordered by two known “hot spots” of Kittlitz’s Murrelets. Suzann Speckman is continuing her PhD work under the supervision of Julia Parrish (UW) and John Piatt (ABSQ. She is examining how bottom- up forcing, as mediated through forage fish prey, influences seabird distribution and abundance in lower Cook Inlet. In collaboration with the Institute of Oceanology (Polish Academy of Sci- ences), Ann Harding and Tom Van Pelt (ABSQ led the “Little Auk Expedition 2002” to Spitsbergen to study Dovekies (Little Auks; Alle alle). See “Old World” for details. Verena Gill recently took a new job with USFWS, Marine Mammals Man- agement, where she will be working on sea otters {Enhydra lutra). She remains very interested in seabird issues aiKl plans to stay involved in PSG. Prince William Sound Biologists of the Chugach National Forest, Cordova Ranger District, Paul Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 105 regional reports - Alaska eyers and Nick Osterberg, conducted at-based marine bird surveys on the h end of Montague Island from ,^aikof Point to Port Chalmers. Surveys ^ere conducted within 2 hours of high Sde for all waterbirds within 200 m of ihore. In addition, the team searched for 111 nests of Black Oystercatchers IHaematopus bachmani), terns, gulls IjLarus spp.) and Pigeon Guillemots {Cepphus columba). Unfortunately, no Pigeon Guillemot nests were found. David Irons with the aid of Kelsey Sullivan, Aly McKnight and several others continued long-term monitoring of Black-legged Kittiwake populations, productivity, diets, and survival in Prince William Sound. Sullivan (an MS student at Rutgers University) and McKnight came back for a third year to conduct studies at the Shoup Bay kittiwake colony in Prince ^S^^am Sound. Sullivan is looking at the effect of adjacent pro- ductivity on the rate of movement of ex- perienced breeders. This year the Shoup Bay colony was visited repeatedly by a wolverine {Gulo gulo), which fed on Glaucous-wing^ Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake chicks. Rob Suryan (Oregon State Univer- sity) continues to work with data from studies on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He is producing final drafts of synthesis products and additional analyses that will be used as part of his graduate work. Southeast Alaska Bob Day of ABR is working on an environmental impact statement for the Vessel Management Plan at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. He con- ducted analyses and is writing the bird section of the document In 2003, John Piatt (ABSC) and others will initiate studies of Kittlitz’s Munelet ecology in Glacier Bay National Park. This work will include studies funded by USGS, the NPS, and ADF&G on habitat use, forag- ing behavior, and impacts of vessel dis- turbance. In related projects, Mike Litzow and Mayumi Arimitsu com- pleted a second year of forage fish sur- veys in Glacier Bay, with capable assis- tance from Kyle Juk and Brad Congdon (James Cook University, Australia). Arimitsu and Juk then went on to assist Suzann Speckman (UW), Chris Gabrielle (Glacier Bay National Park), and Mike Shultz in a continuing study of marine predators and forage fish in Glacier Bay. Staff from AMNWR continued sea- bird monitoring at St Lazaria Island from May to September. This work was led by Leslie Slater with returning crew Vicky Vosburg and Anissa Berry- Frick. Additional field assistance came from Deborah Rocque, Kassy Holzheimer, and Laura Borg. South of JuiKau, USFWS (Michelle Kissling, Mike Jacobson, Patti McDonnell), assisted by Gus VanVliet and Paul Suchanek, surveyed 5 main- land Qords for Kittlitz’s Muixelets this year. They found low numbers in Holkham Bay and Endicott Arm, but not in the southern bays. The data provided an update on the southern breeding range of the species. Seabird bycatch issues The USFWS Office of Migratory Bird Management in Anchorage received a second year of congressional funding ($575,000) to work on seabird bycatch issues in Alaska. Kathy Kuletz and Kent Wohl worked with USFWS *s Western Alaska Ecological Services (WAES; Ann Rappoport and Greg Balogh), the Na- tional Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS; Kim Rivera) and fishing industry rep- resentatives (Thorn Smith of the North Pacific Longline Association, and many others). The project directed funds to 7 on-going and 3 new projects focused on education/outreach, mitigation devices, and assembly of data on seabirds at risk. Summaries of the projects, agency and university investigators, and their progress to date can be obtained from Kathy Kuletz (kathyjailetz@fws.gov). In teief, on-going projects included; (1) production of a video on seabird mitiga- tion devices for fishers, (2) support for the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Data- base, (3) satellite telemetry tracking of Short-tailed Albatross {Phoebastria albatrusX (4) demographics and genetic profiling of albatross and northern ful- mars taken incidentally during longline fishing (see report below), (5) develop- ment of a database for fishery observer sightings and notes, (6) improved train- ing for fishery observers on seabird is- sues and identification, and (7) purchase and distribution of streamer lines to fish- ers. New projects initiated in 2002 in- cluded: (1) field testing of a prototype weighted sink line for longline fishing, (2) field tests of bycatch reduction de- vices on small vessels, (3) coUaboration with NMFS on their gillnet bycatch study on Kodiak Island (see report elsewhere in this issue). Rob Suryan continues to work with Dan Roby (Oregon State University) on telemetry of the Short-tailed Albatross. This project is being conducted jointly with the Japanese Ministry of the Envi- ronment (Naoko Nakajima), USFWS (Greg Balogh, Kent Wohl), and the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology (Kiyoaki Ozaki, Fumio Sato). The pur- pose of the study is to identify post- breeding dispersal routes of subadult al- batrosses, environmental variables that affect their at-sea distribution, and po- tential conflicts with commercial fishing fleets. We were successful in acquiring good data from four of the nine birds tagged — ^2.5 to 4 months of data, with over 1,400 locations. These birds exhib- ited two distinct dispersal strategies and used at least four primary regions for feeding in waters of Japan, Russia, and the United States. We hope to deploy 10 transmitters each in 2003 and 2(X)4. Ad- ditional participants in this study include David Hyrenbach (Point Reyes Bird Observatory), David Anderson (Wake Forest University), and Paul Sievert (University of Massachusetts and USGS). Kathy Kuletz and Kim Rivera up- dated the seabird section of the Ecosys- tem Consiiterations chapter of the Alaska Groundfish Fisheries EIS. They continue to work with the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council on seabird issues. They also are working on the latest draff of the Environmental Impact Statement for management of Alaska’s groundfish Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 106 REGIONAL REPORTS - Alaska fisheries, evaluating potential impacts from alternative management scenarios. Karen Brenneman and Liz Labunski pored through 8 years of fishery observer notes and sighting forms from the groundfish fisheries, to compile the new Observer Notes Database. Brenneman and Labunski, joined by Jacob LaCroix, also worked on the NMFS bycatch study on Kodiak Island. The USFWS crew assisted in seabird identi- fication, collected data on seabird-gear interactions, and updated seabird colony counts (see report by Kuletz elsewhere in this issue). Earlier in the year, Brenneman and Labunski conducted winter boat-based surveys in Southeast Alaska. The latter were designed to ground-truth the aerial waterbird surveys conducted by the Juneau office. Scott Hatch and Verena Gill (ABSQ completed the first fuE field sea- son of a study to identify the origins of Northern Fulmars taken as bycatch in Alaskan long-line fisheries. The ap- proach includes both satellite telemetry and the development of genetic markers for fulmars from each of the four main Alaskan colonies — Semidi Islands, Chagulak Island, Pribilof Islands, and St. Matthew/Hall islands. Five satellite transmitters were deployed (one at Chagulak in June and four at Hall Island in July), and all birds were doing fine and sending data as of mid-September. They also obtained blood samples for genetic analysis from Chagulak, Hall Island, and both St. George and St. Paul in the Pribilofs. During the year. Gill went to school in the USGS Alaska Science Center ^s Molecular Ecology Lab to learn the basics of DNA extraction and PCR, and she has been tutoring Hatch in the same process. Let the record show that Hatch managed to visit each of the “big four” fulmar colonies in a single season this year, a personal “grand slam” of con- siderable significance. Kim Dietrich is characterizing sea- bird bycatch rates in Alaska longline fisheries. The research is her MS thesis work under Julia Parrish (UW) and Ed Melvin (Washington Sea Grant). She is modeling bycatch rates as a function of fisheries, environmental factors, and sea- bird ecological factors in order to explain the spatial and temporal variation in these bycatch rates. She is also working with Shannon Fitzgerald of the NMFS Groundfish Observer Program, to iden- tify individual longline vessels for out- reach activities that will be performed by NMFS staff. Back at the office (endangered spe- OES, databases...) David Irons (USFWS) and John Piatt (ABSC) continued work on the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database, joined during the summer by Michelle St Peters. Scott Hatch reports that the Pacific Seabird Monitoring Database is about ready to go public, software hav- ing now been prepared for both data en- try and data retrieval on-line. Internet security issues in the Department of In- terior have caused some delays but should be resolved in the near future. Irons and Kent Wohl continue to repre- sent the US at the Circumpolar Seabird Group (CBIRD) meetings. CBIRD con- tinues to be involved in many projects and has recently completed the Circum- polar Murre Banding Database. Ann Harding completed her MSc thesis, “Breeding ecology of Homed Puffins in Alaska” at the University of Durham, England, and finished analyses and re- ports on a study of Homed Puffin atten- dance patterns and monitoring protocols. Greg Balogh of USFWS, WAES in An- chorage organized the first Short-tailed Albatross {Phoebastria albatrus) recov- ery team (START) meeting in Kauai, Hawai’i in November 2002. This was in conjunction with the International Fish- eries Forum and involved agencies and individuals from the USA, Japan, and Australia. Kathy Kuletz is updating the Kittlitz’s Murrelet Status Report began last year. She also worked with Greg Balogh to compile data and write the Kittlitz’s Murrelet Candidate Assess- ment, a step towards proposed listing under the Endangered Species Act. The assessment, which was sent out for ex- ternal review this spring, was revised and will be submitted this fall following in- ternal review. RUSSIA Summarized by Nikolai B. Konyukhov Maria Ushakova (kurilsky@- ostrov.sakhalin.m) studied the biology of Rhinoceros Auklets {Cerorhinca monocerata) and Tufted Puffins {Fratercula cirrhata) at the Kurile Is- lands. In 2002, most research activities were done on Rogachev Island (44 07 N, 146*02’ E), but some of them were completed at Dyomin Island (43*14' N, 146*03' E) from May to September. This was Maria’s first year of studies to col- lect data for her PhD thesis. Larisa Zelenskaya (larisa@- ibpn.kolyma.ru) carried out studies at Talanlsland(59*ir N, 149*03’ E), in the Sea of Okhotsk- Olga Nos also partici- pated in studies of Black-legged Kitti- wake {Rissa tridactyla) breeding biology, monitoring populations that have been studied since 1987. They also studied several plots established in 1955 where only observation of birds without any disturbance was conducted. Chick growth was monitored at other plots. Weather conditions were normal during 2002 breeding season. Egg-laying dates were normal for this population and the proportion of non-breeders was lower than in previous years. Mean clutch sizes were comparable to previous years. Both 3-egg clutches and re-laying were ob- served. Environmental conditior^ may have changed during incubation. Hatch- ing success was lower than usual, and hatched chicks had a low rate of mass gain. Seventy-five percent of chicks un- der observation died during their first 10 days and none of them lived past their 20th day. All kittiwakes (inside and out- side plots) failed completely, possibly because of starvation. Proportions of capelin and sandlance in food samples were less than usual. Predation pressure wt^ normal. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 107 REGIONAL REPORTS - Russia Nikolai Konyukhov konyukhov@gol.ru) and Victor ^obakin (victoi@zubakin.msk.ru) did leld work in Alaska again in 2002. EConykhov continued his studies of the ?*arakeet Aukiet {Aethia psittacula) and Homed Puffin {Fratercula corniculata) m Buldir Island in the Aleutian Islands. Ziubakin monitored kittiwakes, murres {Uria spp.) and auklets {Aethia spp.) on St Lawrence Island, Bering Sea. Further details are in the regional report for Alaska. CANADA Summarized by Ken Morgan Western Canada (except Marbled Murrelets) Carina Gjerdnim (former MSc student, Simon Fraser University) is cur- rently working in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, Coimeticut) where she is studying salt marsh birds. In her spare time she is ana- lyzing Tufted Puffin {Fratercula cirrhata) data, which include 14 years of reproductive data from Triangle Island, British Columbia, spanning 1975 to 2000. Gjerdnim, together with co-au- thors Anne Vallee (deceased), John Ryder, Colleen Cassady-St. Clair, and Doug Bertram, are interested in the con- sequences of warm waters on the mpro- ductive performance of Tufted Puffin. The data show that especially warm sea- surface temperatures are associated with decreased growth rates and fledging suc- cess of puffin nestlings. Future plans for Gjerdnim include three months in Ant- arctica during the upcoming austral sum- mer, where she will study the population dynamics of Adelie Penguins {Pygoscelis adeliae). Mark Hipfner of the Candian Wild- life Service (CWS) reports that the past summer marked the 9* year of the joint seabird researeh and monitoring program by CWS and Simon Fraser University (SFU) on Triangle Island. This is the sec- ond year of the program under his direc- tion. Hipfner and others, including Kristin Charleton and Laura MacFarlane-TVanquilla (according to Mark, “both led a very capable and en- thusiastic field crew’’) continued to moni- tor breeding chronology and success, nestling diets, and chick growth in Cassin’s Auklets {Ptychoramphus aleuticus). Rhinoceros Auklets {Cerorhinca monocerata). Tufted Puf- fins, and Common Murres {Uria aalge). In addition, they used radiotelemetry to determine at-sea foraging distributions of Rhinoceros Auklets during chick-rearing. This last project relates to planning for the Scott Islands Marine Protected Area. Although Tufted Puffins experienced another year of very poor success, most species fared well this summer. Two SFU students conducted MSc research at Tri- angle Island in 2002. Gwylim Blackburn finished his second year of field work investigating sexual selection and parental investment decisions in Tufted Puffins. Eric Davies finished his first year of field work investigating sea- sonal changes in trophic status of the alcids breeding at Triangle using stable isotopes. As part of the CWS seabird monitoring program, Hipfner visited several islands in the Queen Charlottes this summer. He assisted in banding of Ancient Murrelets {Synthliboramphus antiquus) at Limestone Island, which was being carried out by the Laskeek Bay Conservation Society, led by Jo Smith (Birdsmith Ecological Research). Hipfner also visited Langara Island, along with Gregg Howald (Island Con- servation Group), and Valerie Lebrecque and Bob Milko (CWS); they found no signs of rats, but did find some suggestive evidence that seabird popu- lations may now be responding to the rat eradication program of the mid-1990s. In addition, Hipfner, Lebrecque and Milko visited Ramsay Island to re-sur- vey the Ancient Murrelet and C^sin’s Auklet plots there. Beth MacCallum (Bighorn Envi- ronmental Design, Hinton, Alberta) re- ports on several years of Harlequin EHick {Histrionicus histrionicus) surveys. A spring and summer survey of the McLeod River and it tributaries was un- dertaken in 1995, as part of an Environ- mental Impact Assessment for the Cheviot Mine project of Caidinal River Coals Ltd.. In 1996 a detailed study was initiated with the purpose of document- ing Harlequin Duck distribution, abun- dance and use on the McLeod River sys- tem. That study was continued in 1997,1998, and 1999. Information was used to develop a six-part management plan to mitigate the impacts of the Cheviot Mine development. A long term monitoring program was developed as one component of the management plan. The primary means of monitoring the population is to conduct a late May sur- vey to establish breeding potential and a late August survey to establish produc- tivity prior to migration. Mark-resighting techniques are used to estimate the num- ber of adults present in the spring, and repetitive instream foot surveys are used to establish the number of broods in late August. Between 1996 and 2001, the McLeod River population of Harlequin Ducks has varied from 58 ± 7 (mean ± SD) to 68 ± 2 adults; the population ap- peals stable. Ken Morgan (CWS, Sidney, Brit- ish Columbia) is using ships of opportu- nity to collect pelagic data on high trophic-level organisms, as part of a joint project led by Bill Sydeman (Point Reyes Bird Observatory) and David Hyrenbach (Duke University Marine Lab). The goal is to identify highly pro- ductive marine areas within the Califor- nia Current, for potential designation as Marine Protected Areas (MPA). Over the past year, Morgan has also been an ac- tive member of the North Pacific Alba- tross Working Group. He is al^ on the Marine Advisory Committee to identify Marine Species of Common Conserva- tion Concern. This is part of a MPA ini- tiative undertaken by the Commission for Environmental Co-operation, a compo- nent of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the USA, Mexico and Canada. Morgan is also collaborat- ing with Sonia Batten (Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science), David Welch of the Department of Fisheries Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 108 REGIONAL REPORTS - Canada and Oceans (DFO), Sydeman, and Hyrenbach on the Constant Plankton Recorder project, which links near-sur- face planktonic abundance and commu- nity composition with marine birds and mammals between British Columbia and Japan. And finally, Morgan is the lead for British Columbia in assessing the extent, timing, location and variability of chronic oil pollution in offshore and nearshore waters. The CWS has hired Patrick O’Hara as a post-doc to work on this issue; his “advisory committee” includes Morgan, Mark Hipfner (CWS), Alan Binder of the University of Victoria (UVIC), John Dower (UVIC), and Bill Crawford (DFO). The findings of O’Hara’s work will be es- sential to derive estimates of the back- ground oiling of seabirds; those data may be vital to making informed decisions regarding the possible lifting of the mora- torium on oil and gas exploration and development within Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone off the British Colum- bia coast. Spencer Sealy (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg) reports that he is working on a project more than 30 years old called Studies of Vagrancy in Auks. In the late 1970s Sealy began compiling inland records of Ancient Murrelets in North America. Harry Carter (US Geo- logical Survey, Dixon, California) soon joined as a collaborator and the woik has progressed over the years in several stages, broken by intermittent and some- times lengthy periods of inactivity as each pursued other research. But this work was never forgotten, and in the fall of 1999 Sealy and Carter resumed com- piling and updating records. The work has expanded over the years to include several other species: Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) (inland use of freshwater lakes); long-distance vagrancy of Long-billed Murrelets {Brachyramphus perdix); vagrancy in North Pacific auklets; and movements (including long-distance inland move- ments) and wrecks of Dovekies {Alle alle) of the Atlantic Ocean. Specimens from many museums have been exam- ined; data have been recorded for each specimen, including locality, date, age, sex, and whatever information is avail- able from sight records. Interpretations of the analyses are being couched in terms of each species’ natural history, oceanic features and climate. Joanna Smith (Birdsmith Ecologi- cal Research) returned to the Queen Charlotte Islands in March for her fourth season with Laskeek Bay Conservation Society (LBCS). The camp on Limestone Island was staffed from 29 March to 7 July by Jen Rock, Charlotte Tarver and Smith. The long-term monitoring pro- gram for Ancient Murrelets, Marbled Murrelets, Black Oystercatchers {Haema-topus bachmani) and other ma- rine life in Laskeek Bay is in its 13* year. Twenty-seven volunteers helped out over the season. The LBCS and Tony Gaston (CWS) cooperated with Vicki Friesen (Queen’s University) to collect blood samples from songbirds. Friesen and two students (post-doctoral fellow Theresa Burg and MSc student Roger Bull) are investigating whether the resident song- birds on islands are genetically distinct from mainland populations. Smith will be leaving her numerous Canadian projects in the fall to begin a PhD with Julia Parrish and Chris Thompson at University of Washington, where she wiU be investigating seabird predation on salmon on the Columbia River, Washing- ton Marbled Murrelets Alan Burger of the University of Victoria (UVIQ is continuing research on Marbled Murrelets (MAMU) and other seabirds on Vancouver Island. Field work in 2CK)2 focused on radar surveys for murrelets m southwestern Vancouver Island, m collaboration with Bernard Schroeder and assistant Laura Cassin. Counts of murrelets made with radar will be compared with GIS data to determine landscape-level habitat associations. Ra- dar surveys were undertaken to assess the risks to murrelets of wind turbine gen- erators, whose construction is proposed on a ridge top in northern Vancouver Is- land. Burger also worked with Stewart Guy of the British Columbia (BC) Min- istry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Louise Waterhouse (BC Ministry of Forests), Brian Smart (Smart Forest Plarming) and others in the development of standardized methods for assessing murrelet habitat from helicopters, follow- mg GIS and air-photo analysis. Burger is also working with Christine Hitchcock (University of British Colum- bia) and Gail Davoren (Memorial Uni- versity of Newfoundland) to analyze the distribution and oceanography of sea- birds over the continental shelf to the southwest of Vancouver Island, using multi-year data collected during the 1990s. Burger analyzed data from beached bird surveys in British Columbia from 1987 through 1997; a report is available. A new beached bird survey program has been initiated in British Columbia, run by Jeanne Roy (Bird Studies Canada). A retired (?) Fred Cooke is now “re- laxing” in Norfolk, United Kingdom, but says that he still finds plenty to keep him busy, including an honorary research position at the University of East Anglia. Cooke is still keeping up with the Marbled Murrelet work being done at SFU, although most of that is now coor- dinated by Dov Lank (SFU). The main Marbled Murrelet work this year at SFU’s Centre for Wildlife Ecology has been examine nesting habitat prefer- ences. Cooke states that the analysis of nests found by radiotelemetry at Deso- lation Sound, British Columbia (81 nests) showed that the birds had a clear prefer- ence for old growth forests located at 600 to 1000 m and on steeper slopes. They also showed a preference for natural edges and small forest patches, in con- trast to previous findings using classical nest-finding techniques. Cooke also re- ports that this year they have collected more data fix>m Clayoquot Sound in or- der to get an adequate sample from the more pristine site. Preliminary results indicate that at that location there also is a preference for higher elevations and steeper slopes. Cooke suggests that pre- vious guidelines for habitat protection for murrelets in British Columbia need to be REGIONAL REPORTS - Canada 5 vised, if maximal nest-site protection > to be achieved. Results also show that aveniles move north along the Pacific :oast, rather than in a southerly direc- ion as previously assumed. The diiec- ion of movement of adult birds is still >eing investigated. Falk Huettmann (University of Calgary) investigated Marbled Murrelet nesting habitat in Desolation and Qayoquot Sounds (British Columbia), with Mryka Hall-Beyer and MGIS stu- dent Scott Steeby (University of Calgary). They used LANDS AT 7 satel- lite imagery and are working on a method for classif^g the imagery (6 spectral bands and 30-m pixel size) to derive and evaluate maps of murrelet nesting habi- tat. Random habitat field-plot data were applied to images ftom August 2000 as a basis for classification of forest types. In addition, old-growth forest classifica- tions were compared with nesting habi- tat, determined by more than 120 nest locations identified from 1998 through 2001 within a 50-km ‘foraging’ circle. Peggy Yen (SFU/Point Reyes Bird Ob- servatory) and Huettmann investigated how MAMU marine distribution and abundance related to abiotic and biotic components of the marine environment. Data on marine distribution of MAMU in British Columbia (birds/km^ from 1972 to 1993, counts (number of birds per survey; 1922 to 1989), and pertinent environmental variables were entered into Arcview. On a 10-km scale, count surveys were negatively correlated with density surveys. Huettmann suggested that the interpretation of the count data (relative abundance) should be done with care. Together with British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCTT), GIS stu- dents G. Burroughs, M. Pregitzer, and N. Antoniazzi), together with Huettmann, Yen and J. Stoodley (SFU), initiated a website, “Marbled Murrelet Sightings on Lakes in British Columbia, Canada.” The URL is http:// mapserver.geog.sfu.ca/murrelets/ . Ac- cording to Huettmann, the project pre- sents new and interesting conservation, modeling and survey aspects. Among these are the ability to predict the occur- rence of MAMU on freshwater lakes, based on “presence only” sightings. One can report field sightings via this website, where they are stored and freely avail- able on request. Paul Jones reports that observations of MAMU continued for the twelfth con- secutive year on the Caren Range and the waters of Middlepoint Bight, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. On the Caren Range, detections were down and three previous nesting sites remained unused in 2002. MAMU counts on the Bight during the molt period were down to 28 birds, compared with 39 in 2001. Only one newly arrived juvenile was observed (July 8). “The Marbled Murrelets of the Caren Range and Middlepoint Bight” is available from Jones or from the pub- lisher (Western Canada Wilderness Com- mittee, 227 Abbot Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 2K7) for Can$34.95. Bernard Schroeder (Bernard K. Schroeder Consulting, Nanaimo, BQ with assistance by Laura Cassin, con- ducted MAMU radar surveys for Alan Burger (UVIC) between early June and late July. The surveys were carried out in various watersheds located around and southeast of Barkley Sound (Vancouver Island) using a vehicle-mounted 10 Kw radar unit. The work was funded by the World Wildlife Fund as a first year of investigation into measuring populations and distribution of Marbled Murrelets in this area. Schroeder also conducted work on a habitat evaluation project in the Klaskish/East Creek and Mahatta Landscape Units on North Vancouver Island for the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. Po- tential MAMU nesting habitat through- out the landscape was delineated and rated using reviews of air-photo and for- est cover maps at a scale of 1:20, (XK). Aerial assessments were conducted us- ing a helicopter as a bmad scale ground- truthing method. Land-based radar sur- veys were conducted to investigate movement and dispersal of Marbled Murrelets through the Klasldsh valley and across passes into the Cayuse and Mahatta valleys. The information gath- ered is being used to prioritize areas for further investigation and to assist habi- tat managers with selection of Old Growth Management Areas and WUdlife Habitat Areas. Seabird bycatch Jake Fraser (Fraser Research and Development) and Joanna (Jo) Smith (Birdsmith Ecological Research) devel- oped a 2-page color laminated sheet of Pacific coastal seabirds (see report by Smith below). Fraser requested that he be allowed the following “rant”; “Many commercial fishermen are real conserva- tionists and are committed to doing the responsible thing. Fishermen are often thought to be ignorant rapers of the sea. That may be true of some, but many fish- ermen recognize the value of sustainable ecosystems. A lot of the not-so-aware types have left the industry, thank good- ness. Gillnet fishermen have collected information on bird bycatch in their daily logbooks, and several hundred of them paid to attend province- wide workshops on reduction of bycatch, includiiig birds. Manuals for the identification and avoid- ance of seabirds were distributed to par- ticipants at these workshops. Hundreds of fishermen in British Columbia, Wash- ington and Oregon have attended work- shops that I have led on selective fish- ing, and those workshops have included a thorough discussion of the bird situa- tion. The forming of partnerships for the purpose of wildlife preservation [is] very important. The commercial component of those partnerships is key to success- ful implementation of identification and avoidance programs.” Joanna Smith (Birdsmith Ecologi- cal Research) and Ken Morgan (CWS) worked with the Halibut Advisory Board and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to de- velop seabird avoidance measures for the 2002 commercial halibut fishery. Late in 2001, the halibut fishery requested as- sistance with reducing bird bycatch. With help from Ed Melvin (Washington Sea Grant), bird scaring lines were introduced into the halibut fishery as a condition of license— the first mitigation n^asures for seabird bycatch in British Columbia. Steps to reduce seabird bycatch were ^ 4 >nhrrdn • Volume 29. Number 2 • Fall 2002 * Page 1 10 REGIONAL REPORTS - Canada made in the commercial salmon gillnet fishery as weU. Members of the commer- cial fishery asked for seabird identifica- tion materials so that they could avoid those birds most likely to get caught in nets. Jake Fraser (Fraser Research and Development) and Smith developed a 2- page color laminated sheet of Pacific Coast seabirds, with support from North Coast Selective Gillnet Association, Community Futures Development Cor- poration, Environment Canada, and Fish- eries and Oceans Canada, The sheet was distributed free of charge to commercial salmon gillnet licensees. Smith and Morgan presented a paper at the Ameri- can Society of Limnology and Oceanog- raphy on the overlap of seabirds and the rockfish fishery, one of the major longline fisheries in British Columbia known to catch seabirds. Ken Morgan (CWS, Sidney, Brit- ish Columbia) continues to coUect data on seabird bycatch in commercial net and longline fisheries in British Columbia. Morgan and (especially) Joanna Smith worked with DFO, the observer provider companies, and the fishing industry to raise the awareness of the problem. Steps have been taken by the Pacific Halibut Advisory Board and DFO to ensure that avoidance devices aie used on most hali- but boats. The observers salvage many of the killed birds; Morgan, Erin SIfton and Craig Stephen (Centre for Coastal Health, Nanaimo, BC) are examining all salvaged birds for diseases, toxins, etc. Chris Thompson and Ken Warheit (both of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) and Keith Hobson (CWS, Saskatchewan) are also making use of various tissues from these birds. In addition, Morgan, John Chardine (CWS, Atlantic) and Bob Milko (CWS, Hull, Quebec) continue to collaborate with DFO Ottawa to develop a National Plan of Action for the reduction of sea- bird bycatch in longline fisheries, in ac- cordance with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s international ini- tiative to reduce bycatch Erin Sifton and Craig Stephen (Centre for Coastal Health, Nanaimo, British Columbia), in conjunction with Ken Morgan (CWS) and Joanna Smith (Birdsmith Ecologi- cal Research), are currently examining seabirds, primarily Rhinoceros Auklets and Common Murres, from a seabird bycatch salvage program. The intent of this project is to investigate whether sea- birds from the salvage program can, over time, act as ecosystem or population health sentinels. The principal investiga- tors, both veterinarians and epidemiolo- gists, perform gross post mortem exams of the seabirds to look for signs of trauma, toxicity, infection, congenital deformities or other abnormalities. Tis- sue samples are collected for histologi- cal examination where further informa- tion is required. Eastern Canada John Chardine (CWS, Sackville, New Brunswick) has been collaborating on studies of nest-site selection in Ra- zorbills {Alca torda) with Tony Dia- mond and MSc student Dedreic Gre- cian, both of the Atlantic Cooperatove Wildlife Research Network (ACWERN) at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). This year Chardine made a ma- jor resighting effort on banded birds at the main colony in the Maritime Provincxes (Machias Seal Island), with the goal of determining survival rates and patterns of recruitment. Chardine also reports that Prince Edward Island should be “tern heaven” with its many sand bare and spits, which provide po- tentially ideal habitat for breeding terns. However, Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) populations have been declin- ing, as has the number of viable colo- nies. This year Chardine put together a Prince Edward Island tern warden pro- gram, and, in collaboration with Kevin Teather (University of Prince Edward Island), hired Nic McClelland to moni- tor tern breeding activity at several colo- nies. Preliminary findings suggest that predation from various sources appears to be a limiting factor at most sites. This year only one main tern colony was suc- cessful on the island. Chardine has also started a multi-year program to answer why Red-necked Phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus) have disappeared from the outer Bay of Fundy. He will begin by examining food availability using surface zooplankton tows in the Deer/Campobello Island area of New Brunswick, repeating work that was originally done in the early 1980s. At that time, l(K),(XK)s to a million south-bound phalaropes used the area to feed mainly on the copepod Callanus finmarchincus. MSc student Mathieu (Matt) Charette, in collaboration with Andrew Boyne and Tony Diamond (ACWERN), will be comparing populations of Com- mon and Arctic (Sterna paradisaea) Terns on two similar near-shore islands, Machias Seal Island (New Brunswick) and Coimtry Island (Nova Scotia). Both small islands have low rates of predation (no mammalian predation) although there is some avian predation by Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus). Both islands have mixed colonies of the two tern species, and both islands have human presence and researcher distur- bance. The goal is to understand why the Arctic Tern colony on Machias Seal Is- land, one of the largest in the Atlantic region, is not increasing. In the last few years the Common Tern colony there has increased, but the Arctic Tern colony has remained constant or perhaps even de- clined, with productivity much lower than on Country Island. Charette will be comparing data collected from both is- lands since 1996 (productivity, growth, and feeding studies), and will be look- ing at parental condition, productivity, growth, feeding, habitat, weather and predation. Jean-Fran§ois Rail, Gilles Chapdelaine, and Jean-Frangois Cloutier (all CWS, Quebec) accom- plished a nearly complete census of sea- birds on the Gaspe Peninsula this sum- mer. Serge Brodeur (Parks Canada) as- sisted around Forillon National Park. Of the 13 seabird species found breeding, the most abundant were the Northern Gannet (Morns bassanus). Common Murre and Black-legged Kittiwake. Population trends were estimated using results from the last census (done in 1989). Numbers of Razorbills and Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) had Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 * ^ REGIONAL REPORTS - Canada icreased considerably since 1989, and ;veral new colonies were discovered, ommon Murres was also found breed* ig at new sites. However, at onaventure Island, where more than 8% of murres were found, the colony ppeared either stable or slightly smaller ompared to 1989. Suitable nesting habi- at may be a limiting factor on ^onaventure Island; the island supports wer 75,000 pairs of cliff-nesting sea- >irds. Northern Gannets occupy every iuitable ledge and continue to invade urther onto the plateau of the island. The gannet colony may now have exceeded 10,000 pairs (36,936 pairs were counted in 1999). The Gaspd Peninsula supports one of the largest concentrations of Black Guillemots {Cepphus grylle) in the Northwest Atlantic, with more than 5,000 pairs, and the species appears to be do- ing well. However, the census method (adult counts converted to number of breeding pairs, using k-mtios calculated in 1979) needs to be revisited and its ac- curacy verified. Herring Gulls {Larus argentatus) and Black-legged Kittiwakes declined substantially (-34% and -45%, respectively) between 1989 and 2002. Common Terns also declined sharply, and only two active colonies were found. These species’ future is threatened around the Gaspe Peninsula because of the limited number of potential breeding sites, and because of increasing interac- tions with gulls, mammalian predators and humans. Andre Breton is in his third year of work on his PhD thesis, “Demographic Parameter Estimates and their Biologi- cal Implications for a Seabird Metapopulation”. The research, which he anticipates will take 4 years, is being doneatACWERN (UNB). His advisory team includes Tony Diamond (ACWERN), Steven Kress (National Audubon Society) and Richard Elliot (CWS). Data are from five separate colo- nies in the Gulf of Maine, spanning 21 consecutive years of marking and re- sighting (1982-1902). The focal animal is the Atlantic Puffin {Fratercula arcticd). The demographic parameters he is investigating include age-specific sur- vival rates and movement rates in two forms: estimates of within-summer movement probabilities for subadult co- horts, and emigration and natal recruit- ment rates. Breton is using within-sum- mer movement probabilities to predict breeding status (breeding or not; birds show 100% colony fidelity once they have bred one time). Without that “sig- nal,” it is impossible, or at least excep- tionally difficult, to identify emigration and natal recruitment rates. Breton’s work addresses both temporal and spa- tial scale issues, providing year-by-year (and longer) measures of survival and movement. Colony-specific analyses will be extended to an entire metapopulation. Alexis Blackmer of the University of California at Davis (UCD), in collabo- ration with Josh Ackerman (UCD), Charles Huntington (Bowdoin Col- lege), Robert Mauck (Kenyon College), Gabrielle Nevitt (UCD), and Joseph Williams (Ohio State University), are researching Leach’s Storm-petrels {Oceanodroma leucorhoa) at the Bowdoin Scientific Station at Kent Is- land, New Brunswick. The influence of investigator disturbance on reproductive success is being studied (Blackmer, Ackerman, and Nevitt). The mate famil- iarity hypothesis (the link between pah- bond duration, behavioral coordination, and reproductive success) of Leach’s Storm-petrels is being tested (Blackmer, Huntington, Ackerman, and Nevitt), and basal metabolic rates are also being examined (Blackmer, Mauck, Hunting- ton, Ackerman, Williams, and Nevitt). Arctic Canada Keith Hobson (CWS, Saskat- chewan) continues to explore applica- tions of stable isotopes (primarily *^C and *^N) to questions involving trophic ecol- ogy of seabirds and contaminant flow in marine ecosystems. His current work in- volves analysis of isotopic profiles of seabirds from the Northwater Polynya, and the long-term monitoring of diet in Thick-billed Murres {Uria lomvia). Black-legged Kittiwakes {Rissa tridactyla) and Northern Fulmars (Fuimaris glacialis) at Prince Leopold Island in the Canadian Arctic. Ckher work includes dietary analyses of Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) wintering on the Belcher Islands, Nunavut, and the application of isotopes as fingerprints to delineate population of eiders in the east- ern and western Arctic. International col- laborations include work on seabird com- munities off Patagonia, Argentina, the Mediterranean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica. Mark Mallory (CWS, Nunavut) writes that work continued on Common Eiders nesting in Frobisher Bay. Inten- sive boat surveys were conducted of 100 nearby islands. During the surveys Black Guillemots were also monitored; guillemots are numerous in the bay and co-locate on islands with eiders. The Frobisher Bay work was preceded by a survey of indigenous knowledge of lo- cal hunters and elders on the population trends and nesting patterns of local ei- ders. The data will be merged with those collected by Grant Gilchrist (CWS, Hull, Quebec) and crew along southern Baffin Island to describe eider nesting locations and habitat types around the Meta Incog- nita Peninsula. In the Belcher Islands, Gilchrist and ciew conducted studies on over-wintering eiders, including use of underwater cameras lowered through the ice to examine foraging behavior of birds feeding at polynyas. At East Bay, Southampton Island, Gilchrist and Myra Robertson (CWS, YeUowknife, Northwest Territories) continued then- studies on Common Eiders, including projects examining movements (by sat- ellite telemetry), reproductive behavior, incubation, physiology, and interactions with predators. Concurrent with these studies were research projects on Herring Gulls and shoiebirds. Aerial surveys for distribu- tions of marine birds were also ccmducted by Alain Fontaine, Kathy Dickson, Steve Wendt, Dale Caswell (all CWS) and Paul Castelli of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) around Foxe Basin and nearby islands. Data from these surveys are currently being summarized. Mallory and Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 * Page 112 REGIONAL REPORTS - Canada Fontaine completed the final draft of a CWS Occasional Paper, “Key Marine Habitat Sites for Migratory Birds in Northwest Territories and Nunavut.” The paper summarizes much of the published and gray literature and also uses unpub- lished data to synthesize what is known about marine sites for birds in the Arc- tic. Mallory and Gilchrist surveyed known nesting colonies of Ivory Gulls (Pagophila eburnea) in the High Arctic. The species is uncommon, and this was the first survey of more than 90% of known nesting sites in over 15 years. The aerial surveys were matched by a ship- based survey in August by Fontaine. Ivory Gulls appear to have declined since the last population studies. During this year’s surveys, information on a variety of other marine birds was collected, in- cluding new colony locations for Glau- cous Gull (Larus hyper bored), Arctic Tern, and Sabine’s Gull (Xema sabini). Gilchrist also continued as one of the principal participants in seabird research at Prince Leopold Island, focusing on Thick-billed Murres, Northern Fulmars and Black-legged Kittiwakes. Mallory also assisted Tony Gaston (CWS, Hull, Quebec) with ongoing studies of Thick- billed Murres at Coats Island. Data from these studies are currently being ana- lyzed. OREGON AIND WASHINGTON Summarized by Jan Hodder Marbled Murrelets The Marbled Murrelet Effectiveness Monitoring Program (MMEMP) contin- ued the development and implementation of long-term monitoring programs m both marine and inland forest ecosys- tems. The Population Monitoring Team, comprised of Martin Raphael of the United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW- USFS), Chris Thompson of the Wash- ington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Craig Strong (Crescent Coastal Research), CJ Ralph, and Jim Baldwin (PSW-USFS), conducted an- other year of marine surveys throughout 5 of the 6 conservation zones for the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). They now have three years of murrelet population data and plan to conduct surveys again during the 2003 breeding season. Analysis of survey data from 2000 and 2001 resulted in a murrelet population estimate for each year of approximately 20,000 birds for the 5-zone area. The Habitat Monitoring Team, com- prised of Diane Evans Mack (PNW- USFS), Kim Nelson of the Oregon Co- operative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Oregon State University (OCFWRU-OSU), Sherri Miller, Jim Baldwin, and Tim Max (both of PNW- USFS), continued to collect data from inland forest sites that will be used to model murrelet habitat relationships across the 5 conservation zones. This ground-based vegetation sampling was conducted at the tree- and stand-scale in “occupied” and “absence” sites, as iden- tified from previous PSG Inland Survey Protocol surveys across multiple land ownership in western Washington, Or- egon and California. This year the team will begin to focus on developing a baseline map of murrelet habitat. The map will be derived from a region- wide vegetation map that is being prepared by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The current team leader, Patrick Jodice, will be vacating the position in October 2002. He will become the Assistant Unit Leader of the USGS South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Clemson University. A replacement team leader has not been named as of this writing. Updates, annual reports, and news about the Effectiveness Monitoring Program can be found at www.reo.gov/monitor- ing. Kim Nelson continued her research with the MMEMP for the Northwest Forest Plan, as outlined above. She also began developing models of murrelet habitat associations, using satellite maps from both the Interagency Vegetation Mapping Project and the Coastal Land- scape Assessment and Modeling Study, plus the nest-site characteristics collected in Oregon and Washington using inten- sive tree climbihg (in cooperation with Tom Hamer, Doug Meekins and Mandy Wilson). Kim also continued to work on updating and modifying Oregon’s Marbled Murrelet survey da- tabase for use in the MMEMP, and as part of an effort by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to archive information on murrelet surveys and habitat use. In other research, Kim concluded her studies of the Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix) in Japan. Her paper, along with others presented at the PSG Japanese Seabird Symposium in 2001, was published in the Journal of the Yamashina Institute of Ornithology. In cooperation with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, she continued to conduct dawn surveys in Oregon’s state parks as part of an effort to determine murrelet occupancy along the coast. All the OSU projects were completed with the assistance of Mandy Wilson, Karen Cradler, Ross Hubbard, Jim Rogers, Scott Kirby, Jessi Lyons, Kyle Legare, Anni Ala, Veronica Armejos and Dawn Loomis. Martin Raphael, Diane Evans Mack, and Randall Wilk, of PNW- USFS in Olympia, Washington, contin- ued several collaborative studies on Marbled Murrelets in Puget Sound and Hood Canal during 2002. As part of the MMEMP, they completed the third year of long-term population monitoring of Marbled Murrelets under the Northwest Forest Plan. They surveyed Recovery Zone 1, including the San Juan Islands to Olympia in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They also continued to collect baseline data on within-season and annual changes in distribution, den- sity, and productivity indices of raurrelets in the San Juan Island archipelago and Hood Canal. As part of the MMEMP, work continued to develop a map of po- tential murrelet nesting habitat for the Olympic Peninsula, Western Washington REGIONAL REPORTS - Oregon & Washington Cascades, and Western Washington low- lands. Other cooperators in this work in- cluded the Washington Department of Natural Resources, National Park Ser- vice, Rayonier Timber Lands, and WDFW. In collaboration with Brian Cooper of ABR, Inc, the PNW-USFS conducted a fifth year of radar sampling in 10 large drainages around the Olympic Peninsula, in order to correlate murrelet numbers with the distribution and landscape con- figuration of nesting habitat defined at a broad scale. Efforts this year will focus on integrating murrelet abundance from radar with mo^ls being developed by John Marzluff, University of Washing- ton, that relate predicted murrelet nest- ing probability and risk of predation to habitat features at the stand and land- scape scales. Turnstone EC Inc. survey crews conducted 1250 surveys for Marbled Murrelets on state lands including Or- egon Department of Forestry districts in western Oregon, and 886 surveys on state lands in western Washington, both along the base of the Olympic peninsula and in the Capitol State Forest south of Olym- pia. They were also involved in a nest search project on the Elliott State Forest in western Oregon. Crews conducted general surveys in randomly selected survey cells; they homed in on ceUs with murrelet activity to conduct site- or even tree-specific surveys in an effort to lo- cate nests. For further information con- tact Tom Williamson (tom@turn- stoneenvironmental.com). The National Park Service com- pleted the second year of Marbled Murrelet surveys at San Juan Island Na- tional Historical Park, using the PSG In- land Survey Protocol. All suitable habi- tat stands within the park were surveyed. In over two yeai^ of surveying at four areas, only one audio detection was docu- mented. For further information contact Shelley Hall (Shelley_Hall@nps.gov). Kimberly Augenfeld (ABR, Inc.) surveyed for Marbled Murrelets with both audio-visual surveys and radar at sites on the Oregon coast, in Northern California, the Olympic Peninsula, and the Washington Cascades. Caspian Terns Research on predation by seabirds on juvenile salmon in the lower Colum- bia River was continued by a team from Oregon State Univemity (OSU), Colum- bia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and Real Time Research. This year’s re- search team included Dan Roby, Ken Collis, Don Lyons, Anne-Mary Myers, Rob Suryan, Bobby Begay, Cindy Anderson, Scott Anderson, Michelle Antolos, Sadie Wright, Mike Haw- becker, and a number of seasonal tech- nicians and volunteers. Seabirds investi- gated include Caspian Terns, Double- crested Cormorants, Western and Glau- cous-winged GuUs (Larus occidentalis and L. glaucescens)^ and White Peli- cans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Ml nesting by Caspian Terns in the Colum- bia River estuary (ca. 9,900 pairs) oc- curred on East Sand Island in 2002. Roughly 11,000 fledglings were pro- duced at the East Sand Island colony in 2002, corresponding to a nesting success of 1.1 young raised per breeding pair. One of the main research objectives was to monitor management of the East Sand Island colony by the interagency Caspian Tern Working Group. This work resumed after settlement on 2 April 2002 of a law- suit brought by conservationists against several agencies. Terns were encouraged to nest on East Sand Island by habitat restoration, tem decoys, and audio play- back; flagging was placed on the remain- ing unvegetated sand habitat at the former Rice Island tem colony; and haz- ing was permitted where terns were pros- pecting for a new colony site (before any eggs were laid). A longer report on this study by Roby et al. is elsewhere in this issue. Michelle Antolos (OSU) is finish- ing her thesis on breeding and foraging ecology of Caspian terns in the mid-Co- lumbia river. She is analyzing predation on juvenile salmonids and the manage- ment implications of this. Rob Suryan (OSU) continues to work with Dan Roby on a variety of projects, including the Columbia River Avian Predation study (see Roby’s update for details), satellite telemetry of Short-tailed Albatrosses {Phoebastria albatrus), and unending analyses of data from the APEX study in Prince WUliam Sound, Alaska (see the Alaska report for the latter two studies). (Yes, Rob is a student again... but trying not to break Geoi^e Divoky^s record!) On August 30, 2002, USFWS re- leased the “Status Assessment and Con- servation Recommendations for the Caspian Tem {Sterna caspia) in North America,” authored by Dave Shuford (Point Reyes Bird Observatory, PRBO) and David Craig C'^^amette Univer- sity). Tara Zimmerman and Nanette Seto (USFWS) coordinated the comple- tion and release of this document and should be contacted for copies of it This document is one of three technical reports that USFWS and other partners are pre- paring associated with Caspian Tem management issues in the Columbia River estuary. The second report, which analyzes avian predation to assess the significance and effect of Caspian Tem predation on salmon recovery in the Co- lumbia River estuary, was prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service and is available on their website: (www.nwr.noaa.gov/lhabcon/habweb/ temfinalprint_09-26-2002.pdf). The third report, a feasibility analysis assessing the status and conditions of historic, current, or potential nesting sites of Caspian Terns in the region, is currently being devel- oped by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice. Beginning in June, site visits were conducted by Nanette Seto, Jeff Dillon (USFWS), and Dave Shuford in Cali- fornia, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. These sites were reviewed for their potential for supporting large colo- nies of nesting Caspian Terns, specifi- cally assessing habitat management needs and available prey resources. A fi- nal report will be completed in February 2003. (Also see “Conservation News” in this issue.) Monitoring In June, David Pitkin, Roy Lowe and Ramie] Papish (USFWS, Oregon Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 1 14 REGIONAL REPORTS - Oregon & Washington Coast National Wildlife Refuge Com- plex) conducted their annual coast- wide aerial photo survey of seabird colonies. The survey covered all colonies of Com- mon Murre {Uria aalge) and Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) along the Oregon Coast, and the major- ity of Double-crested Cormorant {Phalacrocorax auritus) colonies theie. Although weak to moderate El Nmo con- ditions have been present in the tropical Pacific this year, sea surface temperatures along the Oregon coast were normal or below normal throughout the seabird breeding season for the fourth straight year; upwelling was average or above average, especially south of Cape Blanco. Schools of baitfish were abun- dant this year in the nearshore zone, and ocean productivity generally appeared to be high along the entire coast. Murre at- tendance at south-coast colonies ap- peared strong, but murre attendance and productivity at a number of north-coast colonies has been reduced over the last several years because of increasing ha- rassment by Bald Eagles {Haliaeetus leucocephalus) during the breeding sea- son, a pattern which held true in 2002. On Colony Rock at Yaquina Head, murre densities in 2002 appeared to be the high- est ever witnessed in Oregon. The ex- treme density on Colony Rock has re- sulted from Bald Eagles forcing over 20,000 murres to completely abandon Gull Rock, approximately 8.5 km north of Colony Rock. These displaced breed- ers have tried to breed on Colony Rock for the last several years. The annual survey of Pelagic Cor- morant {Phalacrocorax pelagicus) nest- ing attempts at 17 colonies near New- port, Oregon continued for the 14* con- secutive year. Anson Koehler, Ramiel Papish and David Pitkin conducted boat and land-based surveys along 16 miles of coastline between Newport and Depoe Bay. Pelagic Cormorant nests at these colonies numbered approximately 10% below the 15-year mean. Jan Hodder and students in her summer marine birds and mammals class at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Marine Biology monitored Pelagic Cormorant nesting sites south of Coos Bay and reported nesting success close to the 30-year mean. In September, David Pitkin and Ray Bentley (USFWS) conducted the annual coast-wide aerial survey of Cali- fornia Brown Pelicans {Pelecanus occidentalis) from the mouth of the Smith River, northern California, to the Columbia River. In Astoria they picked up Marie Fernandez (USFWS) and con- tinued surveying pelicans from the Co- lumbia River to Point GienviUe, Wash- ington. Ulrich Wilson (USFWS) con- ducted a boat-based survey of Califor- nia Brown Pelicans from Point Grenville north along the Washington coast. Todd Hass is continuing with his efforts to coordinate the Coastal Obser- vation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) program. Over the past year, CO ASST has expanded to include over 60 beaches throughout Washington and northern Oregon. More than 220 volun- teers contributed data from over 745 sur- veys, and walked almost 2000km of beach (plus the distance of their return walks!). Overall, they found 717 birds of 53 species. Other developments in 2002 included: a re- vamped website that allows real-time data entry and valida- tion (www.coasst.org), and a 70-page update/supplement to Beached Birds: A COASST Field Guide, For more infor- mation or a copy of COASST Reports 01-02, please contact Program Coordi- nator, Todd Hass, at (206) 221-6893 or thass<2>u. washington.edu. David Nysewander, Joe Evenson, Bryan Murphie, and Tom Cyra con- tinued several monitoring studies asso- ciated with the marine bird component of the Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP), which focuses on the inner marine waters of Washington State. Budget cuts late in the year forced the project to curtail some aspects, such as marine mammal work and great blue heron surveys. However, they were able to continue their two major emphases, winter aerial surveys to monitor the win- ter densities of marine birds, and moni- toring of the breeding numbera of Pigeon Guillemots {Cepphus columba). The winter aerial surveys of marine birds and waterfowl that started in 1992 were conducted again during December 2001 and January 2002. Maps of densi- ties for selected species and other data products are available for the winters of 1992-2002 and for summer surveys of 1992-1999. These are mainly available through tlK; Wildlife Resources Data Sec- tion of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in Olympia through Shelly Snyder at (360) 902-2483. Concern con- tinues about the decline of many marine bird species monitored in this region over the last 20 years. The largest declines have been in fish-eating species like Western Grebes {Aechmophorus occidentalis) that prey upon forage fish, and in species like scaup and scoters {Aythya spp. emAMelanitta spp.), which feed on forage fish eggs at crucial times in the spring; availability of this roe has been declining. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife staff also are con- ducting fall shorebird surveys in the bays of north Puget Sound. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s PSAMP program, USFWS, and volunteer groups have also com- pleted the fourth year of boat-based sur- veys of Pigeon Guillemots at breeding sites throughout all of the inner marine waters of the state during May 2002. These surveys follow a standardized cen- sus protocol; the collaborative effort probably will last five years. It is now clearly documented that close to 16,000 Pigeon Guillemot breed in the inner ma- rine waters of Washington. Contact Joe Evenson at (360) 902-8137 for further information on this effort. The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) continued its long term monitoring of seabirds. The sixth at-^a seabird survey was conducted in June 2002 from the NOAA Ship McArthur. The surveys were part of a larger research effort, “Sanctuary Quest,” a multi-disciplinary research initiative throughout the west coast National Ma- rine Sanctuaries. Within OCNMS, ob- servers Barbara Blackie and Scott Mills collected strip- transect data on 10 of the 14 established track lines within the Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 - Page 115 REGIONAL REPORTS - Oregon & Washington anctuary. Steve Intelmann conducted pilot project of hydroacoustic surveys multaneously on some of the transects, hile CTD casts were conducted on sub- iquent passes of the same lines. In Sep- ;mber, Scott Mills coBected opportunis- c scan samples from the RV McArthur /hen it returned to Washington waters or a mapping project, providing insight Qto seasonal usage of OCNMS by sea- ►irds. Biologists with OCNMS are cur- ently re-examining their monitoring nethodology and will convene a worfc- ;hop this December with feUow at-sea esearchers in order to develop a cohe- dve long term monitoring plan for sea- birds and marine mammals. The goal is to make the protocol be more comparable with other studies that have similar re- search questions and issues. OCNMS and the Olympic Park Institute also co-spon- sored a successful shipboard seabird ecology class taught by Bob Boekelheide. The Menzies Project has been con- ducting cruises for the public around Pro- tection Island twice weekly. They record birds sighted during the cruises around the island and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They are interested in recommen- dations from others on how to generate more useful data on their trips; they would welcome the opportunity to share data and to discuss opportunities for col- laboration. Contact Judy D’Amore at jdamore@macaid.com. Other research and management Julia Parrish, University of Wash- ington and Chris Thompson, Washing- ton Department of Fish and Wildlife, and graduate students Christina Maranto, Joanna Smith, and Francis Weise have begun studies on seabirds in the middle section of the Columbia River. They will be based in Wenatchee, Washington. Stephani Zador recently completed her second field season assessing Com- mon Murre reproductive efforts at Point Grenville, Washington. As part of her PhD dissertation research on the popu- lation dynamics of murres in Washing- ton and Oregon, this information will be used to design a suitable restoration plan for this colony. Colin French, Univer- sity of Washington, is continuing on-go- ing studies of Common Murre breeding biology at Yaquina Head, Oregon, and Tatoosh Island, Washington. Nathalie Hamel’s MS thesis project at the University of Washington is an assessment of the risk of bycatch of Com- mon Murres in the gillnet fisheries of both Washington and British Columbia. She is developing an index of bycatch risk based on the spatiotemporal distri- bution of the murres and the timing and intensity of the fisheries. Lora Leschner and Nathalie worked together to develop the Washington Seabird Monitoring Da- tabase, which will be used in the USFWS Seabird Conservation Plan. The database contains all seabird (on-colony) projects since 1980, as well as all reports and publications related to those projects. Christina J. Maranto completed her MS degree at the University of Cali- fornia, Irvine in the laboratory of Dr. George L. Hunt, Jr. Her thesis is entitled, “The Influence of Prey Choice and Food Quality on Reproductive Performance in an Arctic Tern Population.” She is enter- ing the Ph.D. program in Zoology at the University of Washington under the su- pervision of Julia Parrish, where her re- search wUl focus on the foraging ecol- ogy of seabirds in the mid-Columbia River. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is developing a sea- bird conservation plan for the agency’s Region 1, which covers the Pacific Coast outside Alaska. Included in this region am the temperate and subtropical species of the California Current System (Wash- ington, Oregon, California), and the tropical seabirds of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The plan will review sea- bird resources and habitat, discuss issues and threats, summarize current monitor- ing and management, and identify pri- orities to direct USFWS conservation activities in the future. Maura Naughton is the USFWS lead on this project; she is working with numerous partners in draft- ing the plan, including biologists from Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO), United States Geological Survey (USGS), University of California, Davis, Marine Endeavors, and others. Preparation of the Oregon Seabird Colony Catalog continues, with the hope that printed, electronic and on-line ver- sions will be developed more or less si- multaneously. Khemarith So (Americorps), Craig Strong (Crescent Coastal Research), Maura Naughton, David Pitkin, and Roy Lowe (USFWS) and Jan Hodder have been working on the project Kim Dietrich’s MS thesis research is focused on seabird bycatch rates in Alaska longline fisheries. Suzann Speckman is continuing her PhD work on how forage fish influence seabird ecology in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Details are in the regional report for Alaska. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Summarized by Meredith L. Elliott Morrelets Richard Golightly of Humboldt State University (HSU), Percy Hebert (HSU), and Dennis Orthmeyer of the US Geological Survey, Western Ecologi- cal Research Center (USGS— WERC) completed their second year of a study to determine the effects of noise and hu- man disturbance to nesting Marbled Murrelets {Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Redwood National and State Parks. Brian Acord (HSU) is researching habi- tat use and temporal diffeiences between breeding and non-breeding Marbled Murrelets for his Master’s thesis. The study will also provide information about at-sea distribution, movement patterns, nesting behavior, and nest-site character- istics. Cooperators on this project include Howard Sakai (Redwood National Park), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), and California De- partment of Parks and Recreation. Ben Becker received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley • ^ ft » • »_ Xj'_t ^ OftfV> a Parrp* 1 1 REGIONAL REPORTS - Northern California (UCB) in December 2001 and is now director of Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center at Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS). He is continuing his diet studies of Marbled Murrelets in cen- tral California using stable isotopes with Steve Beissinger and Zach Peery (both of UCB). He now has trophic level data for 1997-2002 and is currently seeking funds to establish nearshore seabird monitoring around PRNS in collabora- tion with the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA), David Suddjian (David Suddjian Biological Consulting Services), in col- laboration with Esther Burkett (CDFG), has been continuing a long-term moni- toring program of Marbled Murrelets in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Portola Redwoods State Park. Muixelet activity was the lowest ever at Big Ba- sin, continuing a documented long-term decline at what was formerly the murrelet’s highest-activity site in the Santa Cruz Mountains. David has also been researching Marbled Murrelet nest- ing habitats in Big Basin Redwoods, Portola Redwoods, and Butano State Parks, San Mateo Memorial County Park, and lands of Big Creek Lumber Company. The focus of this study is to compare populations of corvids (Com- mon Raven [Corvus corax] and Steller’s Jay [Cyanocitta sre/lerij) in murrelet nesting habitats in campgrounds and away from campgrounds. David Bigger (Sustainable Ecosys- tems Institute), Sal Chinnici (The Pacific Lumber Company), and Steven Courtney (Sustainable Ecosystems In- stitute) are conducting research on inland habitat use patterns of Marbled Murrelets in Humboldt County. This is the most intensive inland monitoring program for Marbled Murrelets in North America, with 244 audio-visual surveys and 94 radar surveys each year. Results have indicated that radar is more efficient than audio-visual methods in detecting trends in murrelet activity. Furthermore, the density of Marbled Murrelet detections in old growth redwoods is greater over large blocks of un-entered (uncut) stands than in partially cut stands. Over the past three years, the number of murrelet in- land detections (audio-visual and radar) has increased. USFWS, CDFG, BLM, California State Parks, and ABR, Inc. (formerly Alaska Biological Research, Inc.) are collaborators on this project. Douglas Meekins (The Campbell Group) has completed his second year of an ongoing study of the presence and distribution of Marbled Munelets in vari- ous watersheds on lands owned by Hawthorne Timber in Mendocino County. Meekins is examining murrelet use at the landscape scale. Surveys are being done with both radar and standard ground protocol The goal is to determine the potential use of small, isolated old- growth stands or small clumps of residual old-growth trees by nesting murrelets. Preliminary results from radar suggest that murrelets occur m higher densities in watersheds on the Hawthorne Timber lands than previously expected. How- ever, at the stand scale, radar and ground surveys have failed to detect marbled murrelets using old growth stands or re- sidual clumps in these lands or adjacent to them. C. John Ralph and Sherri Miller (Bird Monitoring Laboratory of the Red- wood Science Laboratory, USDA Forest Service) continued their monitoring of Marbled Murrelets off the coast of North- ern California, Oregon and Washington. Gary Falxa and other personnel at the USFWS office in Areata provided assis- tance on the surveys. Farallon Islands William Sydeman, Russell Brad- ley, Adam Brown, Natalia Collier, Jerry Nusbaum, Peter Pyle, and Pete Warzybok, all of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO), in collaboration with Joelle Buffa (Refuge Manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex [SFBNWRC]) moni- tored 12 species of seabirds and 5 spe- cies of pinnipeds on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge for the 33"* sea- son. The effects of climate change and variability on the population dynamics, demography and feeding ecology of these species is being researched. Initial results indicate an above-average year for seabird productivity for all species ex- cept Western Gull (Lams occidentalis). Cassin’s Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) bred unusually early this year, and they Imd a productive season, with a high rate of double-brooding. The band- ing program yielded interesting discov- eries among Ashy Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma homochrod): one bird that was banded at Prince Island (Chan- nel Islands) in 2001, indicating intercolony movement, and another that had been banded as an adult in 1973, making it more than 30 years old. Two one-day cruises were con- ducted in the Gulf of the Farallones Na- tional Marine Sanctuary in April 2002 aboard the research vessel John H. Mar- tin. Seabird, marine mammal and eu- phausiid swarm surveys were conducted to determine zooplankton species and distribution during this unusual season for Cassin’s Auklets. This was a collabo- rative effort between PRBO (David Hyrenbach, Lucy Vlietstra, Sydeman, Sue Abbott, Meredith Elliott, and Ja- son Yakich), NOAA/Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (Dan Howard, Dale Roberts, and Jan Roletto), and the Na- tional Park Service (Ben Becker). Bart McDermott (SFBNWRQ, in collaboration with Bradley, Brown, Kyra Mills, Pyle, and Warzybok (PRBO), continued their study on the seasonal population trends of the intro- duced house mouse ((Mus musculus) on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFD- This species may have negative impacts on Cassin’s Auklets and Ashy Storm Petrels by attracting migratory owls, such as Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) and Bara Owls (Tyto alba). Trapping sur- veys initiate in March 2(K)1 indicate that the house mouse population peaks be- tween October and November and de- clines sharply from February to June. When the mouse population crashes in spring and summer, it is thought that the owls turn to Cassin’s Auklets and Ashy Storm Petrels as a food source. Mouse population dynamics are also being as- sessed (i.e. vegetation cover, mouse dkt. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002j REGIONAL REPORTS - Northern California id relationships to predators and sea- irds). Owl pellets were collected and nalyzed, and the results showed an in- rease in the occurrence of bird remains Cassin’s Auklets, Ashy Storm Petrels, nd migrant passerines) between April nd July. Nadav Nur and Sydeman (PRBO) ecently finished a statistical analysis of ‘echniques to estimate Common Murre Uria aalge) breeding populations based m the long-term database from the Farallon Islands, supported by the Apex Houston Trustee Council. Derek Lee, Sydeman, David Gardner, Aileen Miller and Nadav Nur (PRBO) recently began an in-depth analysis of survival rates of many Farallon seabirds, including Common Murre, Cassia’s Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet {Cerorhinca monocerata). West- ern Gull, and Ashy Storm-Petrel. Sur- vival analyses will be incorporated into models of population viability and pre- sented in the California Current Marine Bird Adaptive Conservation Plan (see below). Northern and central Californu COAST The San Mateo County Mystery Spill that has been affecting seabirds off the centml California coast since Novem- ber 2001 was identified as oil leaking from the sunken SS Jacob Luckenbach. The Luckenbach, a 468-foot freighter, sank in 1953 approximately 17 miles southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its oil has been positively identified in other mystery spills since 1992. The source of this spill was identified by CDFG’s Of- fice of Oil Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), under the direction of Paul Kelly; the US Coast Guard; and person- nel of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) (see Breck Tiler’s report below). Oiled seabirds have been col- lected and rehabilitated by the Oiled WUdlife Care Network under the direc- tion of Jonna Mazet; veterinary care has been overseen by Scott Newman and Mike Ziccardi of the University of Cali- fornia, Davis. Christine Abraham, Diana Humple and Meredith Elliott (all from PRBO) led the Wildlife Processing Group, which helps in intake procedures and the processing of dead oiled birds. As of 2 September 2(X)2, 1 327 birds have been collected dead and 816 live birds have been collected; 537 of the live birds have died or been euthanized in the re- habilitation process, 278 have b^n re- leased, and one is still being treated. Approximately 90% of all birds collected have been Common Murres, with Com- mon Murre fledglings being affected in recent months. In the meantime, the re- maining oil on the Luckenbach is being salvage by Titan Salvage. As of 13 Sep- tember 2002, 51,000 gallons of oil had been removed from the Luckenbach, and salvaging efforts will continue until all oil is removed fiom the ship. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanc- tuary (GFNMS) is overseeing seabird and marine mammal observations aboard a barge that is stationed over the ship- wreck. Jan Roletto and Joe Mortenson, of GFNMS and the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association (FMSA), contin- ued the Beach Watch program, which consists of shoreline surveys for live and dead marine mammals and birds. Fifty- five sites currently are surveyed from Sonoma through San Mateo counties. GFNMS and FMSA are currently work- ing on updating the Beach Watch data- base. The 2002 Beach Watch Technical Report wiU be distributed at the end of October; it will contain information on regional encounter rates for live and dead birds and manunals, oUed wildlife, beach deposition rates, and survey effort. The report will review data from October 1993 through September 2(X)1 and will concentrate on 26 of the 55 beaches cur- rently monitored. The Common Murre Restoration Project continued for its sixth season to- wards the goal of restoring certain Com- mon Murre colonies in central Califor- nia using social attraction techniques. This project is conducted cooperatively by USFWS-SFBNWRC and HSU. Ref- uge biologist Mike Parker, who has led the project since its inception in 1996, departed for a new position at the refuge as Deputy Project Learter. Veteran HSU biologists Hugh Knechtel, Nathan Jones, and Marty Murphy, along with newcomers April Robinson and Karen Vickers, conducted work in the 2002 field season, with oversight by Joeile Buffa (USFWS) and Rick Golightly (HSU). In mid-August, Gerry McChesney (USGS) was hired as the new fffoject leader. Karen Peluso is lead- ing the project’s fall 2002 education pro- gram; she holds classes at local schools, where students help with painting of de- coys. It was another successful season at the main restoration site, Devil’s Slide Rock. The number of murre chicks fledged increased from 85 in 2001 to 95 in 2002, along with a 10% increase in breeding sites. Murres attended the other decoy site at nearby San Pedro Rock, but no breeding occurred there, probably due to disturbance by Common Ravens. The crew is hopeful that breeding will occur at San Pedro Rock in the near future, with the addition of Brandt’s Cormorant {Phalacrocorax penicillatus) decoys and a raven management plan. Information on productivity, attendance patterns, an- thropogenic and non-anthropogenic dis- turbances, and raurre/Bnmdt’s Cormo- rant interactions were collected at DevO’s SUde Rock, and at other Common Murre colonies at Point Reyes Headlands, Castle Rocks, and Hurricane Point. An increase in the number of murres attend- ing the Castle Rocks and Hurricane Point colony complex in 2CM32 suggested that grown in these colonies has been influ- enced by the closure of the Mcmterey Bay gillnet fishery in late 2000. Aerial surveys of murre and cormo- rant colonies in northern and central Cali- fornia were conducted again this year in cooperation with the CDFG, as part of an ongoing effort to monitor long-term trends in breeding populations. With the implementation of a pilot outreach pro- gram developed by refuge law enforce- ment officer Clyde Morris, we hope to reduce aircraft disturbances at central California’s seabird colonies. Other co- operators with the Common Murre Res- toration Project include Harry Carter Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2(K)2 • Page 118 REGIONAL REPORTS - Northern California (HSU) and Steve Kress (National Audubon Society). At-sea studies David Ainley and Larry Spear (HT Harvey & Associates), and Cynthia T^nan (Department of Oceanography, University of Washington), are research- ing seabird communities of the North- ern California Current offshore of Or- egon and Northern California. Several agencies are cooperating, including NOAA and the National Science Foun- dation. The objective is to understand mid-trophic levels through investigation of the lower and upper levels and the physical environment. This is part of the US Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics, Northeast Pacific Program (GLOBEC- NEP). David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & As- sociates), Carol Keiper (Oikonos), and Sarah Allen (Point Reyes National Sea- shore) continue their long-term surveys in the Gulf of the Farallones to provide information on the response of upper- trophic marine predators to variability in ocean climate. Breck Tyler, Jeff Davis, Laird Henkel, and Brad Keitt of UCSC are continuing to conduct aerial surveys of marine birds and mammals in California continental shelf waters, under contract with OSPR. The surveys are designed to collect baseline distribution and abun- dance data and to maintain rapid-re- sponse capabilities for oil spUls in coastal waters. During the past year, the team has primarily conducted surveys from Monterey Bay to the Gulf of the Farallones as part of the Luckenbach oil spill response effort. Don Croll (UCSC), together with Baldo Marinovic (UCSC), Scott Benson and Jim Harvey of Moss Land- ing Marine Laboratory are continuing surveys of seabird abundance and distri- bution in Monterey Bay. David Hyrenbach continues to di- vide his time between PRBO and Duke Marine Laboratory. Hyrenbach, Sydeman, Gregg Elliott, Kaya Pederson and Peggy Yen (PRBO) and Ken Morgan (Canadian Wildlife Ser- vice) are leading the Pelagic Predators, Prey and Processes project, an initiative to protect pelagic predators and their habitats in the California Current System. Collaborations with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank area, CaUfomia Cooperative Oceanic Fisher- ies Investigation (CalCOFI) in southern California, and Canadian Wildlife Ser- vice and Department of Fisheries and Ckteans, Canada are key to this research. Studies in each region of the CCS are designed to investigate concordance in species-habitat associations and preda- tor-prey aggregations in relation to po- tential designations of marine protected areas. Glenn Ford (RG Ford Consulting) and David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & As- sociates), in collaboration with Carol Keiper (Oikonos), Sarah Allen (NPS), Lisa Ballance (NMFS), and TVacy Gill (NOAA), are studying seabirds off the central California coast ffom Point Arena to Point Sal. The goal is to identify im- portant seabird areas within and around the marine sanctuaries of central Califor- nia. Other studies The San Francisco Bay Bird Obser- vatory (SFBBO), under the direction of Cheryl Strong, has been monitoring colonial waterbirds in South San Fran- cisco Bay. Population size and reproduc- tive success of California gulls {Lams californicus), Forster’s Terns {Sterna forsteri), Caspian Terns {Sterna caspia). Black Skimmere {Rynchops niger), and Double-crested Cormorants {Phala- crocoraxauritus) are evaluated. Tern and cormorant eggs have been collected for Terry Adelsbach (USFWS, Environ- mental Contaminants Division) to test for contaminants; intensive monitoring of tern nests has accompanied this study. John Takekawa (USGS, WERC), in cooperation with Giselle Downard (USFWS, San Pablo Bay NWR), has conducted monitoring surveys of West- ern and California Gulls, Double-crested Cormorants, Caspian and Forster’s Terns, and Black Skimmers on the Napa- Sonoma Marshes (the former Cargill salt ponds). John conducted additional sur- veys of these species on the Alviso salt ponds of South San Francisco Bay. Meredith Elliott and Bill Sydeman (PRBO) continue to study the California Least Tern {Sterna antillamm) colony at Alameda Point, San Francisco Bay. Rachel Hurt and Chris Bandy (USFWS, Alameda NWR) monitored the colony’s reproductive success this year, while PRBO studied food habits and prey availability in the local enviroiunent The predator-prey study has been developed in response to proposed dredging activi- ties in the Oakland Harbor, which is ad- jacent to the tern colony; this work is done in cooperation with the Port of Oak- land (Andy Jahn) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Eric Joliffe). Ben Saenz and Bill Sydeman (PRBO) and Jason Yakich (San Fran- cisco State University), in association with Daphne Hatch (Golden Gate Na- tional Recreational Area), continue to monitor the population dynamics of cor- morants and gulls on Alcatraz Island in relation to prey availability in central San Francisco Bay. In addition to on-colony observations, studies of the dynamics of foraging flocks in San Francisco Bay continue. Tory Poulton of the University of Wyoming worked on foraging by scaup in San Francisco Bay; see the regional report for the non-Pacific US. Julie Thayer and Bill Sydeman (PRBO), with collaboration from Gary Strachan (California State Parks Bay Area District) demography of seabirds and provisioning rates of Rhinoceros Auklets {Cerorhinca monocerata) on Ano Nuevo Island. Thayer and Michelle H^ter (Oikonos) have started restora- tion project on Ano Nuevo Island to re- store native vegetation. Details are in the regional report for southern California and Baja California. Kyra Mills, Bill Sydeman and oth- ers at PRBO are working to complete the California Current Marine Bird Adaptive Conservation Plan. This plan is being REGIONAL REPORTS - Northern California Heated in partnership with government igencies and researchers from southern British Columbia to Baja California, Mexico, and will be coordinated with the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan. The plan will focus on promoting the health of seabird populations. It will emphasize fishery effects on the ecosys- tem, from the standpoint of both reduc- tions in the biomass of prey, and changes to ecosystem functions associated with reductions in the biomass of predatory fish. Models of prey consumption will be presented. A draft is scheduled for completion in June 2003. Maura Naughton (USFWS) is co- ordinating the USFWS Region One Sea- bird Conservation Plan, which includes all breeding seabirds in Region One (California, Oregon, Washington, Ha- waii, and the U.S. Pacific Islands). The first draft has been completed. In other conservation news, the emergency gill net closure that began on April 26 and was slated to run through August 23, 2002 will now continue until further notice. On July 29, CDFG filed a Certificate of Compliance with the Of- fice of Administrative Law regarding the permanent regulations, which prohibit the use of gill and trammel nets in ocean waters 60 fathoms or less from Point Reyes, Marin County, to Point Arguello, Santa Barbara County. The gill net clo- sure will help Common Munes, sea ot- ters, and other marine life. USGS (Western Ecological Re- search Center) and HSU (Department of Wildlife) continue to work in coopera- tion on a number of projects, with Harry Carter and Rick Golightiy (HSU) and Dennis Orthmeyer and John Takekawa (USGS-WERC) as principal investigators. New research on Western Gull use of Castaic Lake area in relation to water quality issues began in 2002, with Rich Young, Derek Lee, and Bill Mclver. Phil Capitolo and Rich Young conducted Brown Pelican {Pelecanus occidentalis) roost monitoring at Mugu Lagoon. Projects in the Channel Islands and Southern Califomia Bight include aerial at-sea surveys (Gerry McChesney, John Mason, Bill Mclver), foraging ecology of Cassin’s Auklets (Josh Adams), colony surveys of Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormo- rants (Gerry McChesney and Bill Mclver), and projects on Ashy Storm- Petrels and Xantus’s Murrelets {Synthliboramphus hypoleucus). Details for the Southern Califomia Bight and Channel Islands are in the regional re- port for southern Califomia and Baja California. Frank Gress (UC Davis and Cali- fomia Institute of Environmental Stud- ies) continued studies in the Southern Califomia Bight. He worked on Brown Pelican {Pelecanus occidentalis) breed- ing biology, and (with Laurie Harvey of the Califomia Institute of Environ- mental Studies) on aerial photographic techniques to census breeding pelicans and cormorants. He h£^ been monitor- ing cormorants and Xantus’s Murrelets on Anacapa Island, and he started a two- year study on the status of the Brown Pelicans and cormorants on the Pacific Coast of Baja Califomia, with Eduardo Palacios of the Centro de Investigacion Cientffica y de Educacidn Superior de Ensenada and Dan Anderson (UCD). Details are in the regional report for southern Califomia and Baja California. The following projects by northern Califomia biologists are described more fully in the regional report for southern Califomia and Baja Califomia: Shaye Wolf (UCSC), Don Croll (UCSQ, and Bemie Tershy of the Island Conserva- tion and Ecology Group (ICEG) are com- paring reproductive and foraging strate- gies of Cassin’s Auklets {Ptychoramphus aleuticus) in Baja Califomia with those in the Califomia Current Wolf also com- pleted her Master’s thesis for the Ocean Sciences Department at UCSC, The rela- tive status and conservation of island breeding seabirds in California and Northwest Mexico. Bill Henry (UCSQ, in association with Don Crcdl (UCSQ and Bemie Tershy (IC^EG), is studying Laysan Albatrosses {Phoebastria immutabilis) on Guadalupe Island, Baja Califomia. ICEG also is working on re- moval of rats from Anacapa Island, and in Baja Califomia, is helping with es- tablishment of a Mexican Natural Pro- tected Area and on protection of seabirds that are disturbed by lighthouse mainte- nance and constraction. The following projects by northern Califomia biologists are described more fully in the regional report for Hawaifi and the Pacific Rim: Myra Finkelstein, Don Smith, Don Croll (UCSC) and Bernie Tershy (ICEG) are investigating the effects of contaminant exposure on immune function in seabirds at Midway Atoll, Hawai‘i. David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & Associates), Keith Hobson (Canadian Wildlife Service), Greg Rau (UCSQ, and Paul Augustinus (Univer- sity of Auckland), are studying Snow Petrels in East Antarctica Ainley contin- ues his work with Grant Ballard (PRBO), Katie Dugger (Oregon State University), Peter Wilson (Landcare Research New Zealand), and Nadav Nur (PRBO) on the stmcture and size changes of Adelie Penguin colonies on Ross Is- land. Larry Spear (H.T. Harvey & As- sociates), David Ainley, Lisa Ballance (NMFS), and David Au (NMFS), are analyzing data on seabird diets and fish- ery relationships that have been collected in the eastern tropical Pacific during the past 2 decades. Mark J. Rauzon con- tinues to study the Tahiti petrel on Ta‘u, American Samoa National Park, and he is working on a number of plans and pub- lications for agencies in Hawai‘i. Details are in the regional report for Hawaifi and the Pacific Rim. Alexis Blackmer (UC Davis), in collaboration with Josh Ackerman (UC Davis), Gabrielle Nevitt (UC Davis), and others, are researching Leach’s Storm-petrels {Oceanodroma leucorhoa) at the Bowdoin Scientific Station at Kent Island, New Bmnswick, Canada. Details are in the regional report for Canada. Michelle Hester (Oikonos) is cur- rently working on her PhD on seabird ecology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, with advisors Les Underhill and John Cooper. Hester also spent time in the Caribbean; details are in the regional report for the non-Pa- cific United States. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 120 REGIONAL REPORTS - Northern California Scott Shaffer (UCSC) spent a month working on Svalbard (Spitsbergen) with Geir Gabrielsen (Norwegian Polar Institute) on the me- tabolism of Glaucous Gulls {Larus hyperboreus) and measuring a variety of seabirds. He plans to study Sooty Shear- waters {Puffinus griseus) there in the fu- ture. Details are in the regional report for the Old World. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND BAJA CALIFORNIA Summarized by Pat Mock and Meredith Elliott Southern California Frank Gr«ss of the University of California at Davis (UCD) and the Cali- fornia Institute of Environmental Stud- ies (CIES) continued his studies of Brown Pelican {Pelecanus occidentalis) breeding biology in the Southern Cali- fornia Bight, examining factors affect- ing reproductive success. Frank contin- ued monitoring of Brown Pelican breed- ing success on Anacapa Island for the American Trader Trustee Council, and he did studies for developing aerial pho- tographic techniques to census breeding Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cor- momnts in the Southern California Bight (with Laurie Harvey, CIES). Other re- search Involved the continued monitor- ing of Double-crested Cormorant, Brandt’s, and Pelagic Cormorants {Phalacrocorax auritiSy P. penicillatus, and P. pelagicus) on Anacapa Island. Along with Humboldt State University (HSU) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) he continued monitoring of Xantus’s Murrelets {Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) on Anacapa Island for the American Trader Trustee Council. Bernie Tershy of the Island Con- servation and Ecology Group (ICEG) is working jointly with the Channel Islands National Park to remove black rats {Rat- tus rattus) from Anacapa Island The sec- ond and final phase of this project is scheduled to take place Fall 2002. This project will help protect both Xantus’s Murrelets and Ashy Storm-petrels from rat predation. Tershy (director). Brad Keitt^ Kris Hulvey, Noah Biavaschi, Bill Wood, and Greg Howald are work- ing on this project. The Western Ecological Research Onter of USGS (WERC) and the De- partment of Wildlife at HSU continue to work in cooperation on a number of projects. Harry Carter and Rick Golightly (HSU) and Dennis Orthmeyer and John Takekawa are principal investigators. In 2002 they fin- ished data collection and worked on the report for a 3-year study of: (a) aerial at- sea surveys for all seabird species and cormorant and pelican colonies and roosts throughout the Southern Califor- nia Bight (Gerry McChesney, John Mason, Bill Mclver); and (b) telemetry on Cassin’s Auklets {Ptychoramphus aleuticus), focusing on foraging ecology at the Prince Island and Scorpion Rock colonies (Josh Adams). Gerry McChesney and Bill Mclver continued colony surveys on Brandt’s and Double- crested Cormorants. Phil Capitolo and Rich Young conducted Brown Pelican roost monitoring at Mugu Lagooru Bill Mclver did surveys of Ashy Storm-Pe- trels {Oceanodroma homochroa) at Santa Cruz Island. Xantus’s Murrelet {Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) monitor- ing at Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands were done courtesy of Darrell Whitworth, Harry Carter, Rich Young, Eileen Creel, with cooperators Hamer Environmental (with Tom Hamer and Charlie Short), California Institute of Environmental Studies (Frank Gress), and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (Sarah Fangman). New field projects in 2002 included: A new Xantus’s Murrelet te- lemetry study was started at Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands with Christine Hamilton and Darrell Whitworth. New research on Western Gull {Larus occidentalis) use of the Castaic Lake area in relation to water quality issues also began in 2002 (with Rich Young, Derek Lee, and Bill Mclver). For the last two years, Pat Baird been looking at DNA of multiple popu- lations of Least Terns all over the United States, in collaboration with Sue Haig of USGS’s Forest and Rangeland Eco- system Science Center in Corvallis, Or- egon. Pat and Ken Jones (Dyersburg State College, Dyersburg, Tennessee) went down a third of the Mississippi River collecting tern samples; other ma- terial came from Ruth Beck (College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Vir- ginia), Matt Bailey (Massachusetts Audubon Society), and people from Ne- braska, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota and Florida. She will finish up the DNA study next year. Pat is also working with Mark Pavelka, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Carlsbad, Califor- nia, to update the Predator Management Plan for California Least Terns. Gradu- ate student Lisa Dobson finished her Master’s thesis on using shorebirds as bioindicators to compare natural and. rehabilitated wetlands in Southern Cali- fornia. Graduate student Dan Robinette is completing his thesis on competition in four species of terns. Kathy Keane continues to moni- tor Least Tern nesting success in the Los Angeles Harbor. Least Tern reproductive success was very low in the harbor as weU elsewhere in the state in 2002, due to very reduced prey availabUity near most southern California nesting sites. Keane is also analyzing data from a sec- ond year of Least Tem foraging surveys at 28 locations in the Los Angeles Har- bor for the Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District. Another study she is completing for the Corps will examine Least Tem foraging patterns in the Los Angeles Harbor over the past 20 years. Keane and Charles Collins are finaliz- ing a comprehensive literature review for all tem species in southern California for USFWS. Kathy also presented an update on the status of the Least Tem popula- tion at a Western Field Ornithologist meeting in October 2002. When she can get away, Kathy enjoys the frigatebirds. Yellow-footed Gulls foraging in the tidepools, and gorgeous sunrises over the Sea of Cortez at her vacation home south of San Felipe, Baja California Sur. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 121 REGIONAL REPORTS - Southern California & Baja California Charles A. Pelizza (USFWS) is documenting the population status and breeding colony sites of Gull-billed Terns {Sterna nilotica) in southern California and the Gulf of California. This effort is a bi-national effort with multiple inves- tigators. The primary focus of this effort is to determine the population status and breeding sites of the species. A literature search, aerial reconnaissance, and ground observations will be used to document the status of the Gull-billed Tern in or- der to determine whether listing of the species as threatened or endangered is wannnted. Studies of survival and dispersal of California Brown Pelicans that are reha- bilitated from Type C botulism poison- ing at the Salton Sea, California are be- ing conducted by Pelizza, Dan Ander- son (UCD), Frank Gress (CIES) and Paul Kelly (California Department of Fish and Game). They will study both rehabilitated and healthy pelicans, using behavioral observations and conven- tional and satellite transmitters to docu- ment movements between the Salton Sea, the southern California coast, and breed- ing colonies in Baja California. In addition to the two studies listed above, there are a number of research projects involved with the effects of botu- lism on White {Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and Brown Pelicans, in particular determining the etiology of botulism at the Salton Sea. The study involves researchers from UCD; the USGS’s National ’VN^dlife Health Labo- ratory in Madison, Wisconsin; the Cali- fomia Polytechnic Institute — Ramona; and the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Pat Mock is doing a wide variety of biological consulting. His work is mostly related to conservation planning in southern California and project assess- ment throughout the southwestern United States. He recently completed a project near the Salton Sea Refuge that included extensive surveys of waterbird use of the area. He is doing peer review of the waterbird studies report for the proposed expansion of San Fiancisco International Airport. He is finishing his tenure as Southern California Representative for PSG. Steve Insley (Hubbs-Seaworld Re- search Institute) has been writing up material on razorbills. It will be published as SJ Insley, R Paredes, and I Jones, in press; Sex differences in razorbill {Alca torda) parent-offspring vocal recogni- tion; J Experim Biol 206(1). Steve has also been deploying bioacoustic probes (i.e. acoustic recording tags) on north- ern fur seals {Callorhinus ursinus) on St. Paul Island, Alaska. The seal work is in collaboration with Tom Loughlin, Bruce Robson, and Rolf Ream of the National Marine Fisheries Service and Bill Burgess of Greeneridge Sciences. This study may continue into this field season. Michelle Wainstein and Peter Hodum (CaUfomia State University at Long Beach) have completed the first year of a long-term seabird research and monitoring program on the Juan Fernandez Islands in Chile. Details are in the regional report for HawaiT and the Pacific Rim. Judith Hand has finish^ her sec- ond historical novel and has written a screenplay to go with it. It’s about an Amazon who fought in the Trojan War. She is also starting a bit of research on her next screenplay, to be based on Voice of the Goddess, her first published novel. Baja Cauforma Frank Gress and Eduardo Palacios of the Centro de Investigacidn Cientffica y de Educacidn Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) in Baja California Sur, monitored California Brown Peli- cans and cormorants on islands of north- western Baja California (Los Coronados, Todos Santos and San Martni) in 2(X)2. They will continue their project during 2003. Palacios and Edgar Amador of the Centro de Inves-tigacidnes Biologicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR) are currently monitoring seabirds breeding in the Baja California coastal wetlands. They will continue their work during 2003. Palacios has been coordinating a network of institutions devoted to the conservation of the California Least Tern {Sterna antillarum) in four nesting sites on the Baja Califomia peninsula (Estero de Punta Banda, Guerrero Negro, La Paz, San Josd del Cabo). During the 2002 breeding season, Palacios and Amador banded 100 Least Tem chicks in various colonies on the peninsula; the work is part of Amador’s PhD thesis. Frank Gress has started a two-year study (funded by USGS) to assess the status of the Brown Pelican and Double- crested, Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorant populations on islands along the Pacific Coast of Baja California, Collaborators on this study are Eduardo Palacios and Dan Anderson (UCD). Bfll Henry (UCSQ, in association with Don Croll (UCSC) and Bernie Tershy (ICEG), are initiating a study of the breeding population of Laysan Alba- tross on Guadalupe Island, Baja C^or- nia. Carlos Gracia-Garcia, Jose Angel Sanchez-Pacheco, and Miguel-Angel Hermosillo of ICEG are involved with two conservation projects in Baja Cali- fornia. One project is to establish a Mexi- can Natural Protected Area for the Pa- cific Islands of Baja California. We ex- pect this reserve, which will protect sev- eral million seabirds of more than 20 sp^ies, to be created some time in 2003. The other project is working with the Mexican Secretary of Communications and Transportation, which is responsible for lighthouses, to protect seabirds and their island habitat. They have jointly developed a proposal to niinimi 2 ® the impacts from lighthouse maintenance and the construction of new lighthouses on the seabird islands of Baja Califor- nia. Shaye Wolf (UCSC), with Don Croll (UCSC) and Bernie Tershy (ICEG), is comparing the reproductive and foraging strategies of Cassin’s Auklets breeding in the San Benito Is- lands, Baja Califomia (the southernmost portion of the speices’ range) to those of populations breeding farther north in the Califomia Current. Wolf also completed her Master’s thesis for the Ocean Sci- ences Department at UCSC, The relative status and conservation of island breed- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 * Fall 2002 • Page 122 REGIONAL REPORTS — Southern California & Baja California ing seabirds in California and Northwest Mexico. She compares (1) seabird diver- sity and abundance, (2) threats to sea- birds, and (3) differences in seabird man- agement and conservation for seabirds breeding on islands in California with those that breed on islands off westOTi Baja California. Julie Thayer and Bill Sydeman (Point Reyes Bird Observatory), with collaboration from Gary Strachan (California State Parks Bay Area District) are studying the long-term demography of 6 species on Ano Nuevo Island. As part of Julie's PhD dissertation at UCD with Dan Anderson, she is studying pro- visioning rates of Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) by installing weigh-bridges in nest boxes. Thayer and Michelle Hester (Oikonos) have started a project on Aho Nuevo Island to restore native vegetation. Collaborators are Ano Nuevo State Reserve, Go Natives, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. The main goals of the project are to improve habitat for burrowing seabirds and other wildlife through reduction of topsoil erosion; methods include plant- ing native shrubs and grasses. Since 1998, the rate of auklet burrow collapse has increased to >50% of occupied bur- rows, and immediate habitat stabilization is necessary to protect the burrowing sea- bird populations. Initial test plots have been installed and further work awaits funding. , HAWAI‘I AND PACIFIC RIM Summarized by Beth Flint Hawaua^j Islands Bob Day of ABR Inc. (Fairbanks, Alaska) used ornithological radar and night-vision equipment on various Ha- waiian islands to look at movements of Dark-rumped Petrels (Pterodroma phaeopygia) and Newell’s Shearwaters {Pujfinus newelli) and to evaluate poten- tial collision problems. He worked on the northwestern Hawaii Islands and in the Puna District of eastern Hawaii Island in June, aided by Rich Blaha from the Or- egon office. Roberta Swift and Carolyn Stephens (Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Haleakala Field Station) helped on the Kalaupapa National Historical Park on northern Molokai Island. These sur- veys were the first in a century that have been done specifically for these species. Day then surveyed Kauai in July, in as- sociation with Reggie David. Tom Telfer (Kauai Division of Forestry and Wildlife [DOFAW], State of Hawaii) worked with Day and David on radar surveys for Newell's Shearwaters at Kaluahonu and a couple of other focal sites. He has just acquired new radar equipment for DOFAW and will try to get data for a few nights in near the fledg- ing season, but nesting is almost over. He reports that interns are monitoring two active Newell’s Shearwater burrows at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Ref- uge, which were established as the re- sult of the 1978-80 cross-fostering ex- periment. These nests provide an oppor- tunity for us to learn something about turnover rates of adults attending nests. Cathleen Natividad and the bio- logical staff at Haleakala National Park have started learning to use the Furuno Radar to track Hawaiian Petrels {Pterodroma sandwichensis) as they fly inland. They did a preliminary survey around east Maui in June, mostly learn- ing to use the radar and record data. They hope to use the radar as another tool to estimate population trends. Traditional monitoring techniques of these petrels in the park indicate that there have been no major changes in population status. Re- cent expansion of the telescope facility at the summit of Haleakala have neces- sitated additional monitoring efforts for Hawaiian Petrels. Jenness McBride and other staff at USFWS 's Pacific Islands Ecological Ser- vices Division (ES-PIE) worked with Kauai Electric during 2001 to monitor and leduce the risk of seabird collisions at a new powerline. Woric is continuing with the company’s new owners, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUQ, to develop a Habitat Conserva- tion Plan (HCP) that minimizes and miti- gates seabird mortality associated with KIUC’s facilities and operations on Kauai. While the HCP is being (teveloped over the next 2 years, KIUC has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with ES- PIE for interim conservation measures that win reduce seabird collisions at powerlines, and to offset powerline mor- tality in the long term by increasing pn- ductivity at nesting colonies. For ex- ample, KIUC has installed shields or fiill- cutoff fixtures on street lights in colli- sion “hotspots”, accelerated modification of power-pole street lights that still lack shielding, and wUl place aviation warn- ing balls on poweriines where needed over the next 3-6 months. KIUC, in co- operation with ES-PIE, is also investi- gating predator control options that could be implemented at a suitable nesting colony site, by next breeding season if possible. The HCP development process will provide significant opportunities for public participation and peer review. Monitoring of seabirds in the Ha- waiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge continued in 2002. Beth Flint and Cindy Rehkemper coordinated efforts from Honolulu, and Debra Henry managed the program at Tern Island. As usual, much of the actual crawling around un- der the bushes and getting nipped by birds was accomplished by the dedicated volunteers at the field stations. Biologi- cal Technicians Chris Eggleston and Alex Wegmann are currently stationed at Tern Island to work on minimizing impacts to seabirds during upcoming construction and repair of the seawall. Biological Technicians Tom and Natalie Wilkie conducted the annual albatross survey at Laysan Island in December of 2002. John Klavitter has assumed the lead for biological activities at Midway AtoU National Wildlife Refuge. He and ll]^ staff at Midway maintained the multi- year project to lure Short-tailed Alba- trosses {Phoebastria albatrus) to estab- lish a nesting colony on Midway Atoll. They placed albatross decoys, serviced the sound system that emits albatross courting noises, and cleared vegetation. The islands’ two regular Short-tailed Al- batrosses arrived at the end of October Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 123 REGIONAL REPORTS - Hawaii and Pacific Rim 002. Ecotoxicologists Lee Ann Wood- ward and Elissa Reeves (Pacific Remote dands National Wildlife Refuge Corn- lex) spent most of December 2002 at didway studying the effect of contami- tants on breeding performance in Laysan md Black-footed Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis and P. tigripes). Ian Jones of Memorial Uni- versity, Newfoundland spent part of his sabbatical at Tem Island Station study- ng the demography of several species here and advising refuge staff on moni- oring issues. Paul Doherty (formerly of USGS-BRD, and now of Colorado State University) is working on bringing all banding, re-banding, re-sighting, and re- capture data for Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses into a single database. Allison Veit is updating the Pacific Sea- bird Monitoring Database, with particu- lar emphasis on albatross data from the Northwestern Hawaiian Island. She is supported by USFWS, Division of Mi- gratory Birds and Habitat Programs, Portland, Katie Swift, Holly Freifeld, and Naomi Bentivoglio (USFWS, ES-PIE) conducted surveys of seabirds, shore- birds, waterfowl, land birds, and other terrestrial biota at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands for the United States Army for 4 weeks in September and October. Colleen Henson (ES-PIE) served as Chair of the North Pacific Al- batross Working Group during its first year of existence. Henson also served on the Steering Committee for the Second International Fishers Forum on Solving the Incidental Capture of Seabirds and Sea Turtles in Longline Fisheries. HoBy Freifeld worked on the Biological Opin- ion for the Short-tailed Albatross in the Hawaii Pelagic Longline Fishery and taught seabird identification to new fish- ery observers in that fishery. Eric VanderWerf has been actively collect- ing, collating and coordinating data on the White Tem (Gygis alba) population on Oahu. John Slotterback of the Pacific Is- land Ecosystems Research Center, US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division (USGS-BRD) reports: “The Birds of North America account ‘Band- rumped Storm-Petrel and Tristram’s Storm-Petrel {Oceanodroma castro and O. tristrami),^ account number 673, will soon be out. I am pleased that these spe- cies were included in the BNA. . .because the account provides a good summary of what we know and don’t know. One of the big roadblocks to doing research on these species in Hawaii is our inability to pinpoint colonies. I encourage people to continue to be on the lookout for ex- act breeding sites.” Myra Finkelstein of the University of California at Santa Cmz (UCSQ, in collaboration with Don Croll (UCSQ, Bemie Tershy of the Island Conserva- tion and Ecology Group (ICEG) and Don Smith (UCSQ are investigating the ef- fects of contaminant exposure on im- mune function in seabirds. Focus species are the Laysan Albatross {Phoebastria immutabilis). Black-footed Albatross (P. nigripes). Wedge-tailed Shearwater {Puffinus pacificus), and Red-tailed Tropicbird {Phaethon rubricauda) at Midway AtoU. Jeremy Bisson (Department of Zo- ology, University of Hawaii) is beginning a study of the diets of Black-footed and Laysan Albatross {Phoebastria nigripes and P. immutabilis) salvaged from the Hawaii based pelagic longline fishery. The work is under the supervision of Dr. David Duffy and is supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the University of Hawai‘i Manoa. Per- sonnel of the National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Longline Observer Program will play a cracial role in mak- ing this study a success. Aaron Hebshi (University of Hawaii) is continuing dissertation re- search on the effects of changes in skip- jack tuna {Katsicwonus pelamis) abun- dance on Wedge-tailed Shearwater {Puffinus pacificus) breeding success and chick growth. He is about to begin diet studies of the birds and the tuna. In win- ter and spring of 2002, he traveled with Island Conservation and Tammy Sleeves to the Revillagigedos in Mexico, where they surveyed breeding seabirds on San Benedicto and Socorro Islands. Currently work is being done to eradicate feral mammals from Qarion and Socorro Is- lands to protect the endangered Townsend’s Shearwater {Puffinus au- ricularis), San Benedicto Island was found to be free of mammals. Eric Gilman (National Audubon Society, Living Oceans Program) and Chris Bogg^i (National Marine Fisher- ies Service, Honolulu Laboratory) con- ducted research on an uncterwater string chute to determine its effectiveness at avoiding seabirds, and to see if the chute is practicable for use in the Hawai‘1 longline fishery. (A longer report by Gilman is elsewhere in this issue.) Kathy Hopper and Kitty Simonds of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, along with an in- ternational steering committee, organized and hosted the Second International Fish- ers Forum on Solving the Incidental Cap- ture of Seabirds and Sea Turtles in Longline Fisheries that was held in Ho- nolulu on November 19-22. The meet- ing brought together fishers, scientists, resource managers, and other interested parties from all over the world to address possible solutions to incidental bycatch of sea turtles and seabirds by longline fishing gear. Mark J. Rauzon (Marine Endeav- ors, Oakland, California) has been work- ing on many seabird conservation docu- ments. He has submitted drafts of sec- tions for the “Regional Seabird Plan on Hawaii and Pacific Islands” — Species Accounts and Seabird Habitats,” “Threats from Introduced Species and Military Activities,” and “Summary of Recent Research, Monitoring and Man- agement Activities.” He has completed the final draft of “A Rodent Contingency Plan for the Hawaiian and Remote Pa- cific Islands National Wildlife Refuges — a Rapid Rodent Response Action Plan.” For the US Marine Corps Base Hawaii, he has done a report in support of Ha- waiian Stilt {Himantopus himantopus) recovery in the Ko‘olaupoko District, Oahu (a multiple- watershed view of stilt management), and an “Invasive Species Management Study.” Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 124 REGIONAL REPORTS - Hawaii and Pacific Rim Elsewhere in the Pacific Lindsey Hayes, Kathy Brooks, and Joe Wiggins are continuing to moni- tor seabird populations at Johnston and manage wUdlife populations there, as the military facility is being closed and the environmental cleanup is conducted. Brown Boobies {Sula leucogaster) banded at Johnston continue to turn up all over the Pacific Islands, the most re- cent return being from Vanuatu. Betty- Anne Schreiber (US National Museum of Natural History) has just finished her 20th year of working on Johnston AtoU, Central Pacific Ocean, where she has been studying the breeding biology and ecology of the nesting Pelecaniformes. She also has been monitoring population sizes and nest success in all the nesting seabird species. Over the last 3 years she has been putting satellite transmitters on boobies and frigatebirds to determine at- sea feeding areas during the breeding season. Donna O^Daniel left her position as Wildlife Biologist at Johnston Atoll af- ter having spent 6 years in that position. She is now living in Arizona, working in the area of diet and health. Dominique Horvath (Refuge Op- erations Specialist for the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Com- plex) made a brief monitoring visit to Jarvis Island National WUdlife Refuge in February, aboard the National Oceano- graphic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Townsend Cromwell. She checked the condition of the Phoenix Petrel {Pterodroma alba) calling machine she deployed there in 2001 . The machine was functioning weU, but there were no signs of petrels in the area during the visit. On another leg of the same cruise, Beth Flint visited Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in American Samoa and found seabird populations there to be healthy. The Townsend Cromwell was decommissioned m October after several decades of support for field programs in the Central Tropical Pacific. Chris Depkin left Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in early fall after over a year at the refuge. While there, he made major progress on rat eradication and on establishing biological monitoring pro- tocols, Mark Rauzon conducted two sur- veys on Ta‘u, American Samoa National Park, in collaboration with David Duffy and Holly Freifeld (USFWS, Hawaii). Concern continues over the discovery of Norway rats {Rattus norvegicus) at this breeding site for Tahiti Petrel {Ptero- droma rostrata) last year. Sonograms for the petrel and diets of the rats are being analyzed. Michelle Wainstein, along with Peter Hodum (California State Univer- sity at Long Beach) have completed the first year of a long-term seabird research and monitoring program on the Juan Fernandez Islands in Chile. They will be focusing on distributions and abundance, foraging ecology, breeding biology, and conseivation threats for four species of Procellariids that nest on the islands. Larry Spear and David Ainley (H.T. Harvey & Associates), in associa- tion with Lisa Ballance (NMFS) and NOAA, are analyzing the diet of seabirds in the Eastern Tropical Pacific for years 1983-1994. Larry Spear, Lisa Ballance, David Au (NMFS), in coOaboration with the National Science Foundation and NOAA, are assessing trends in commu- nity composition and abundance of east- ern tropical seabirds in the context of the exploitation of tuna (Thmnus spp.) for the years 1985-2(X)0. David Ainley, Keith Hobson (Ca- nadian Wildlife Service), Greg Ran (University of California at Santa Cruz), and Paul Augustinus (University of Auckland), in collaboration with NSF, are studying Snow Petrels {Pagodroma nivea) in glacial refugia of East Antarc- tica. Isotope investigations are being made of layers in 20,000-year-old depos- its of stomach oU that accumulate around nests of Snow Petrels. Ainley continues his work with Grant Ballard of Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO), Katie Dugger (Oregon State University), Pe- ter Wilson (Landcare Research New Zealand), and Nadav Nur (PRBO) to research the factors underlying the geo- graphic structure of Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies on Ross Island and the increasing size of colo- nies during the past two decades. Other collaborators include Michelle Hester (Oikonos), Hannah Rose Nevins (Oikonos), Kerry Barton, BJ Karl (Landcare Research New Zealand), NSF, and other agencies. Sandy Bartle of the Museum of the New Zealand is working toward the opening of a major exhibit in their new facilities. He continues to work on mak- ing the vast amount of collection infor- mation accessible for seabird research. NON-PACIFIC UNITED STATES Summarized by Malcolm C. Coulter A series of interrelated studies on diving ducks that winter in San Francisco Bay and breed ekewhere have been com- pleted by graduate students in Jim Loworn’s group at the University of Wyoming, in cooperation with John Takekawa and Keith Miles of the US Geological Survey (USGS). Master’s student Kammie Kruse studied nesting ecology of Canvasbacks {Aythya valisineria) at Ruby Lake, Nevada for 3 years. The best predictor of nest success was depth of the snow pack in surround- ing mountains up to 3 years earlier. Kruse also analyzed band returns for this popu- lation from 1968-2000. Of all band re- turns, 92% were from the Pacific Fly way and 56% were from California alone. In California, recovery distributions shifted from southern California and San Fran- cisco Bay in the 1970s to the Central Valley in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 19^)s there were no recoveries in San Francisco Bay, historically the major wintering area for Canvasbacks in the Pacific Flyway. Adult survival d^a:eased by 33% and juvenile survival by 45% between the 198Ck and 1990s. Kruse’s field work at Ruby Lake added 3 more seasons to 11 years of data over a 31- year period. REGIONAL REPORTS - Hawaii and Pacific Rim In San Francisco Bay, Master's stu- snt Tory Poulton investigated the for- ging behavior of scaup {Aythya marila ad A. qffinis) relative to spatial and sea- anal patterns of benthic foods. The ex- tic Asian clam Potamocorbula murensis, which invaded the bay in 986 and has displaced the native com- annity in many areas, was quite abun- Jant, especially in the top 5 cm of sedi- aents. However, F. amurensis declined Iramatically firom late fall 1999 to early pring 2000. Diving duck predation may )e an important regulator of P. amurensis lumbers in late winter. In support of the work in San Fran- nsco Bay, Samantha Richman did cap- ive studies of Lesser Scaup (A. affinis). She investigated effects of differences in nutrient content, digestibility, areal den- sity, size, and depth in the sediments on the relative foraging value of exotic P. amurensis versus the formerly dominant native clam Macoma balthica, P, amurensis was more digestible. For prey densities up to 4,000/m^ intake rates decreased dramatically when prey were buried in sand-filled trays at a depth of 6 cm in comparison with 3 cm. Unlike M. balthica, almost all F. amurensis are in the top 5 cm of sediments where scaup intake rates are highest; and in the field, a much higher fiaction of P. amurensis are in the length range most commonly eaten by Lesser Scaup. In many respects, P amurensis appears to be a more prof- itable food than M. balthica for Lesser Scaup. However, P. amurensis accumu- lates much higher levels of some con- taminants. Ph.D. student Paul Kaseloo also worked with captive scaup to measure the costs of diving to different depths at different water temperatures, and the extent to which heat produced by diges- tion and exercising muscles can substi- tute for thermoregulation costs. Jim Lowom is developing a computer model to integrate all these results along with data on diets, movements of radiotagged birds, and contaminant levels in scaup in different areas of the bay. This model will be used to assess how changes in food and contaminant distributions in the bay would affect contaminant exposure of scaup. Jim Loworn and graduate students also continued work on Spectacled Ei- ders {Somateria fischeri) wintering in the Bering Sea. Their goal is to develop a simulation model to assess how changes in benthic communities over the last 30 years might have altered the energy bud- gets of Spectacled Eiders. During a sec- ond icebreaker cruise in March-April 2001, we learned that the eiders ate mostly a single species of clam {Nuculana radiata) and select an inter- mediate length class of that clam. Samantha Richman has also completed digestibility and functional response studies relevant to clams in the Bering Sea, using White-winged Scoters {Melitta fused) as a surrogate for Spec- tacled Eiders. Her studies indicate that burial depth of prey (3 versus 6 cm) does not affect the functional responses of these much larger ducks. Preliminary modeling indicates that the amount of time spent flying between leads in the ice as they open and close is a major de- terminant of Spectacled Eider energy budgets. Consequently, Master’s student Joseph Bump is working with Synthetic Aperture R^ar data to develop models that can piedict the duration of leads and the distance between them under differ- ent weather conditions. Our overall model will integrate ice conditions, div- ing energetics, and long-term data on prey density and composition (provided by co-principal investigators Jackie Grebmeier and Lee Cooper of the Uni- versity of Tennessee). This model will simulate energy budgets of Spectacled Eiders during winter over the period when their population declined (mid- 1970s to mid-1990s). Jim Kushlan (Smithsonian Envi- ronmental Research Center) reports that surveys of breeding seabirds have been begun in the northern Bahamas. Initial surveys were conducted in 2002, and more extensive surveys are anticipated for 2003. Results are published in North American Birds. The inventory is a co- operative venture by the Government of the Bahamas, Eric Carey (Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds), Melanie Steinkamp of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USGS, and Waterbird Conservation for the Ameri- cas. Michelle Hester (Oikonos) spent time in the Caribbean assisting the founders of Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIQ, Natalia Collier and Adam Brown, with their long-term monitoring of colonial seabirds of the Lesser Antilles. The Institute for Bird Populations, St. Martin Nature Founda- tion, St. Martin Nature Preserve, and Is- land Conservation Foundation were col- laborators. "Waterbird Conservation for the Americas,” Version 1 of the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, is now available. The document high- lights conservation risks to seabirds, as well as waterfowl and other aquatic birds. The plan was developed by an extensive partnership, which included participants at workshops held at PSG meetings. It can be downloaded from www.- waterbirdconservation.org, or a hard copy can be ordered from waterbirds@fws.gov. Regional planning is continuing; to participate, contact Jen- nifer Wheeler at Jennifer_A_- Wheeler@fws.gov. OLD WORLD: SVALBARD Several PSG researchers worked on Svalbard (a.k.a. Spitsbergen) in 2002. In collaboration with the Institute of Oceanology (Polish Academy of Sci- ences), Ann Harding and Tom Van Pelt (ABSC) led the “Little Auk Expedition 2002” to Spitsbergen to study Dovekies (Little Auks; AUe alle). Tteir work built on results from last year’s expedition led by Nina Karnovsky (Univ^sity of Cali- fornia at Irvine), and was supported by the Polish Academy of Sciences, the At- lantic Seabird Group, the Augustine Courtauld Trust, and the Gino Watkins Memorial Fund. Harding and Van Pelt spent seven weeks collecting data from Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 126 REGIONAL REPORTS - Hawaii and Pacific Rim their base at the Polish Polar Station in Homsund. They will test hypotheses on the relationship of adult and chick diets to zooplankton availability and distribu- tion, allocation of parental ejffort in chick provisioning and fledging, and differ- ences in diet across the season, between sexes, and between adults and chicks. The Polish Academy of Science’s RA^ Oceania spent a week characterizing the marine habitat and fauna in the fjord and ocean waters surrounding the study colony, while Harding and Van Pelt, assisted by Magdalena Owczarek (vol- unteer from the Institute of Oceanology), simultaneously collected chick diet samples. To examine male-female pro- visioning behavior both before and dur- ing the fledging period, they conducted a series of 24-hr watches on color-banded and blood-sampled pairs. Jan LiQeld and Fridtjof Mehlum (Zoological Mu- seum, University of Oslo) are collabo- rating with Harding and Van Pelt to sex banded birds genetically, and they are also examining extra-pair paternity (EPP) rates in Dovekies. To learn more about the feeding ecology of Ek)vekies, Van Pelt and Harding are collaborating with Keith Hobson (Canadian Wildlife Ser- vice, Saskatoon). In this project they wUl use stable isotopes in samples of adult and chick blood, chick diets, and refer- ence prey samples to examine differences in adult and chick diets across the season. Scott Shaffer is working as a postdoctoral researcher in Dan Costa’s lab (University of California at Santa Cruz), In June- July of 2002, he spent a month working on Svalbard with G«r Gabrielsen (Norwegian Polar Institute), conducting a validation study on the body water turnover rate in Glaucous Gulls {Larus hyperboreus) and making mor- phometric measurements on a variety of seabirds in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Scott has plans to conduct more work on Svalbard and is also in the planning stages of a pilot project that will study the foraging ecology of Sooty Shearwa- ters {Puffinus griseus). SEABIRD NEWS TORISHIMA ERUPTION SPARES SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSSES On 11 August 2002, Torishima Island erupted. This volcanic island is the principal nesting site of the endangered Short-tailed Albatross {Phoebastria albatrus). The species’ current breeding population is approximately 1680 individuals, 85% of which nest on Torishima. The eruption was first reported by a nearby vessel and was monitored thereafter by the Japanese Coast Guard. By mid-September, only steam was issuing from the mountain. There has long been concern that a volcanic eruption could imperil the last foothold on earth of the Short-tailed Albatross. The species was nearly exterminated in the early 20*^ century for oil and feathers, but a remnant population was discovered in the 1950s. Although the population has been increasing, its status is still tenuous because of its small size, lunited nesting grounds, and threats from longline fisheries. The only other breeding colony is approximately 260 birds on the Senkaku Islands. Torishima is capable of devastating eruptions — in 1902 all the island’s human inhabitants were killed, and lava and ash were ejected again in 1939. Hiroshi Hasegawa, the world’s expert on the species, expressed guarded optimism with regard to this event, since the birds were not at the colony (the breeding season is November through May) and the eruption was small. He was able to visit the island as usual in late November; he found that the vegetation and landscape on Torishima were virtually unchanged, and that the breeding population was healthy (e-mail to Thom Smith). This eruption, fortunately, has merely been a reminder that improve- ment in the Short-tailed Albatross’s sta- tus remains urgent. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fish- eries Service, government of Japan, and researchers are involved in this effort (see also the regional report for Alaska). SEABIRD GROUP MEETING The Seabird Group, the European group that corresponds to PSG, will hold its next conference at Aberdeen University, Scotland, on 2-4 April 2004. The theme of the conference will be “North-east Atlantic Seabird Popu- lations.” This will coincide with publication of the book that reports results of the Seabird 2000 project, a comprehensive count of British and Irish seabirds. Further details and calls for papers will be issued in mid-2003. For more information, see the group’s website: www.seabirdgroup.org.uk. Mike Harris Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 TREASURER’S REPORT FOR 2002 W.Breck Tyler This report summarizes PSG fi- lances for fiscal year 2001-2002, which mded 30 September 2002. It includes a balance sheet for all active accounts of the Pacific Seabird Group. The report was submitted on 8 December 2002. Assets, Equity, and Liabilities On 30 September 30 2001 , the total assets in PSG accounts were $112,025.62 (Table 1). Total equity was $101,537.13, a decrease of $16,802.04 during the past fiscal year. Liabilities were $7,532.79 for continued work on the Seabird Monitoring Database, $2,002.63 for publication of the oil sym- posium, and $953.07 in unreimbursed officer and committee expenses. New income and expenses PSG generated $17,738.49 in new income during this fiscal year, 53% fiom membership dues, 35% from the Santa Barbara annual meeting, and the rest from Life memberships, dividends, li- brary subscriptions, and publication sales (Table 2). PSG accumulated $13,986.76 in new expenses (Table 2), for a net in- crease of $3,751.73. Publication and mailing of Pacific Seabirds was the larg- est (41%) single expense. The sympo- sium publication grant and monitoring re- fund are not included in the new income total. The endowment account is consid- ered separately. Endowment Account The PSG endowment account is comprised of shares in three Neuberger & Berman Management, Inc. funds — Focus, Guardian, and Partners. The num- ber of shares owned by PSG increases each year but share value (and thus ac- count value) can fluctuate significantly in line with the stock maricet. At the end of the fiscal year, the PSG endowment account was worth $65,343.49. Due to market uncertainty, no Life membership payments were in- vested in this account during this fiscal year. Capital gains and dividends from the account totals $3,139.85 and were automatically reinvested. As a result, PSG acquired 119 new shares and now owns a total of 4,875 shares. Due to declines in share value, the net value of the en- dowment account decreased by $20,064.46. Other accounts PSG maintains a savings account with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and four other checking/saving accounts for specific needs. The Treasurer’s joint checkmg/saving account is managed by Breck lyier. The Pacific Seabirds ac- count, managed by Editor Vivian Mendenhall, contains funds used in the publication and mailing of Pacific Sea- birds. The United Kingdom membership account, managed by Mark Tasker, is used for deposits of dues paid in British pounds sterling. Ken Morgan manages the account for members paying dues in Canadian dollars. Annual Meeting At the 2002 Annual Meeting in Santa Barbara, income exceeded expen- ditures by $6,155.95. A complete finan- cial summary for this meeting will be presented in a future report. Membership At the writing of this report, there were 458 active memberships in PSG — 351 regular memberships (individual and family), 42 student members, 63 life members, and 2 corresponding members. A total of 32 libraries received Pacific Seabirds, 17 of which had paid subscrip- tions. {Continued on page 129) CORRECTION In the Abstracts for PSG’s 2002 meeting. Pacific Seabirds 29:72 (2002), a word was omitted in the abstract “Sta- tus of the Red-legged Cormorant in Peru: what factors affect distribution and popu- lation size?” by Carlos Zavalaga, Esteban Frere, and Patricia Gandini. The first sentence should have read, “The dis- tribution and abundance of Red-legged Cormorants {Phalacrocorax gaimardi) were assessed by visiting 42 localities on the mainland and surveying most of the islands along Peru’s 2500-km coastline between October 1999 and December 2000 .” If you notice an error in Pacific Sea- birds, please let the Editor know. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 128 TREASURER’S REPORT Table L Pacific Seabird Group Balance Sheet, September 30, 2002 30 Sep 2002 Balance 30 Sep 2001 Assets Annual meeting — ^Kauai 2001 0 $1,368.96 Endowment funds (Neuberger & Berman) $65,343.49 $85,407.95 Pacific Seabirds account (Mendenhall) $1,340.48 $3,536.71 PSG savings account (MSDW) $21,225.58 $25,864.06 Treasurer’s accounts (lyier) $20,998.13 $7,411.52 Symposium publication fund $2,002.63 0 UK membership account (Tasker) $949.40 $749.40 Canada membership account (Morgan) $165.91 $20.66 Marine Ornithology 0 $1,293.67 Total Assets $112,025.62 $125,652.93 Liabilities and Equity Liabilities $10,488.49 $7,313.76 Equity $101,537.13 $118,339.17 Total Liabilities and Equity $112,025.62 $125,652.93 Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 129 TREASURER’S REPORT Table 2. Pacific Seabird Group: Cash Flow, 1 October 2001-30 September 2002 GENERAL Income Membership dues Annual meeting Santa Barbara Symposium grant Library subscriptions Monitoring reimbursement Life member dues Interest & dividends Publication sales $9,375.78 $6,155.95 $2,000.00 $720.00 $682.79 $630.00 $472.89 $386.50 Total $20,423.91 Expenses Pacific Seabirds Marine Ornithology Xantus s Murrelet petition Director s insurance Officers & committees Dues (TOC, ABC)‘ Tax preparation Publication costs Banking & legal PSG web site $5,680.03 $2,219.49 $1,500.00 $1,389.00 $931.15 $650.00 $550.00 $533.22 $302.75 $214.92 Total $13,986.76 Net (income - expenses) $6,437.15 ENDOWMENT FUND Income Capital gains & dividends Life membership dues Expenses Share value losses Net (income-expenses) $3,139.85 0 $23,204.31 OVE RALL ANNUAL NET ^The Ornithological Council, American Bird Conservancy -$20,064.46 -$13,62731 Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 130 INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS Pacific Seabirds is the journal of the Pacific Seabird Group. It publishes short peer-reviewed articles and less formal on reports the conservation of Pacific seabirds and related research. Manuscripts of up to 5,000 words are welcome. Materials should be submitted to the Editor (except as noted below): Dr. V.M. Mendenhall, 4600Rabbit Creek Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99516; phone (907) 345-7124; Fax (907) 345-0686); e- mailfasgadair@att.net. Deadlines are 15 March for the spring issue and 15 September for the fall issue. CONTRIBUnONS Contributors are invited to submit the following; • Articles on original research • Reports (articles on current top- ics that will not be peer-reviewed — e.g., research in progress or seabird conserva- tion issues) • Forum (discussion of a current topic) • Review articles (these may cover seabirds worldwide) • Conservation News (submit to Craig Harrison, Associate Editor for Con- servation, 4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA; e-mail chanison@erols.com) • Other short news items relat- ing to seabird research, conservation, or the Pacific Seabird Group • Book reviews • Letters commenting on content of Pacific Seabirds or other issues. If the topic is controversial, othera may be given a chance to review the letter and submit a reply. Printing and editing of letters are at the editor’s discretion • Art work, such as sketches of seabirds, either accompanying a text or for publication alone PEER-REVIEW OF MANSCRIPTS Articles and review articles will be submitted to two peer reviewers for tech- nical review. Other types of manuscript can be sent for review if the author re- quests it or at the editor’s discretion. SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS Material may be submitted by either regular mail or e-mail (addresses above). Materials sent by e-mail should be at- tached to the main message and should be in Word, WordPerf^t, or Rich Text Format However, materials less than 300 words long may be sent in the body of the e-mail. For manuscripts submitted by e-mail, all tables and figures must also be sent as hard copy via mail or fax. If a manuscript is submitted by regular mail and will be peer-reviewed, send three copies. For materials submitted by mail, in- clude a computer disk. Do not send com- puter disks of manuscripts that will be peer-reviewed until the revised copy is submitted. Material on a disk should be in Word, WordPerfect, or Rich Text For- mat. The disk should include a second copy of the manuscript in Text (ASCII). Indicate whether the disk was made on a PC or a Macintosh (Macintosh is pre- ferred). FORMAT Contributors should consult format used in a recent issue of Pacific Seabirds, If no example is available, the Editor will send a copy of relevant material on re- quest. General This subsection applies to all con- tributions, including short news items and abstracts of oral p^rs. Manuscripts should be double- spaced with 1-inch margins. If your pa- per size is A4 (European), the bottom margin should be at least 1 3/4 inch (whether the manuscript is sent by regu- lar ore-mail). Pages should be numbered, except for Tables and Figures. Use US spelling conventions (e.g., “behavior,” not “behaviour” and “criti- cize,” not “criticise”), except when cit- ing non-US journal articles. Give the scientific name (italicized) after the first mention of any genus or species. English names of bird species are capitalized (e.g.. Fork-tailed Storm- Petrel). Names of mammals, othw taxa, and English names of bird groups are lowercase except for proper names (e.g., blackbirds, shield fem, SteOer’s sea cow). If you use an acronym, give the entity’s full name the first time it is men- tioned. Avoid excessive use of acronyms. Use the 24-hour clock without a co- lon (e.g., 1830). Give dates as day- month-year. Use metric measures, except when quoting informal statements. For quantities less than 1, use an initial 0 (P = 0.95, not P = . 95). Typographical conventions follow Scientific Style and Format, 6* edition, by the Style Manual Committee of the CouncO of Biology Editors; Cambridge University Press (1999). ORGANIZATION OF LONGER MANUSCRIPTS Articles should contain the follow- ing sections, in this order: Title, Author(s), Authors’ affiliations (includ- ing e-mail for corresponding author). Abstract, Key words. Introduction, Meth- ods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledg- ments, Literature Cited, Tables, Figure legends, and Figures. Other types of manuscript may use a different organi- zation (e.g., a review or report could con- tain sections on various locations); how- Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 2 information for contributors ;ver, formats for Literature Cited, Tables, tnd Figures will still apply. Abstract — ^An abstract is required or articles and suggested for reports and eviews. It should contain essential in- formation from each section of the text, without statistics. One or more additional abstract(s) may be provided in languages other than English. Key words — ^Five to 10 words for use in computerized searching. Species names in both Latin and English should be included. Introduction — ^Present the aims and significance of the work, and place it in the context of pre-existing information. State hypotheses that are being tested, if any. Methods^ — ^Describe the methods, location, time, and personnel of the study. Include statistical methods, if any. Results — Present results that are pertinent to aims given in the Introduc- tion. Where feasible, summarize infor- mation and give the fuU data in Tables or Figures. Give sample sizes and the sig- nificance levels of statistical tests. Lit- erature citations normally should not be in the Results section. Discussion — Summarize the results briefly, then evaluate the results, and de- velop their importance in relation to other work. Do not include primary results and statistical tests, which belong in Results. Literature Cited—List all refer- ences in alphabetical order of first author’s surname. Surname of the first author should be listed first, followed by initials; ail subsequent authors’ names should be listed as Initial(s), Surname. List all authors in the Literature Cited; do not use “et al.” Year of publication follows authors, then title and journal reference. Include page numbers for all cited works, including the total number of pages in a book. Use standard abbre- viations for journal titles; if you are un- sure, spell them out. Spell out names of agencies and institutions. The first line of each citation should be justified to the left margin; subsequent lines may be left-justified or indented. Do not use all-capital letters or italics in the Literature Cited, except that scien- tific names should be in italics. Ex- amples: Pratt, HD., PL. Bruner, and D.G. Berrett, 1987. Afield guide to the birds of Hawaii and the tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 409 pp. Schreiber, E.A., and R.W. Schreiber. 1988. Great Frigatebird size dimorphism on two Central Pacific atolls. Condor 90:90-99. Verify that all items in the Litera- ture Cited are referenced in the article, and vice vema. For articles read by you in a lan- guage other than English, list the cita- tion in the original language. An English translation of the title [in brackets] is optional. Text citations should be “Surname year” (no comma). Two authors are “Sur- name and surname year”; 3 or more au- thors are “Surname et al. year” (but all authors should be given in the Literature Cited). E.g., (Pratt et al. 1987, Schreiber and Schreiber 1988). Tables— Tables should be num- bered in the order they are first mentioned in the text. Refer to each table at least once. Use horizontal lines below the main heading(s); do not use vertical lines in tables. The table (including its head- ing) should be comprehensible without immediate reference to the text. Data in Tables should not be repeated in the text, except to summarize. If the manuscript is submitted by e-mail, send a hard copy of the tables by fax or regular mail, be- cause table columns usually get scrambled in e-mail attachments. Figures — ^Figures should be num- bered in the order they are first mentioned in the text. Refer to each figure at least once. Figures should be drawn at least 50% larger than they will appear in print Make all lettering, numbers, and symbols large enough to be read easily after they are reduced. The figure (including cap- tion) should be comprehensible without immediate reference to the text Define all symbols in a legend or the caption. Shading of bars should be black, white, or coarse cross-hatching. If the manu- script is submitted by e-mail, send a hard copy of figures by fax or regular mail. A high-quality copy of each figure must be submitted with the final version of the manuscript Acceptable copy in- cludes a good computer print-outs, origi- nal drawing, or good reproduction (Xerox prints on normal paper usually are not good enough). Graphics may be submitted as e-mail attachments in TIFF, GIS, or EFS format JPG is not recom- mended. Photographs — Pacific Seabirds occasionally publishes photos. The best ones are very sharp and have good detail and contrast. Original glossy prints should be submitted. Digital images sub- mitted by e-mail must be at least 250 dpi (when reduced to publication size). Many digital cameras record at 72 dpi, although some have an option of higher resolu- tion. Art work — Original art work is welcomed. An original or a high-quality reproduction should be sent. Pen and ink drawings reproduce the most satisfacto- rily. revisions and proofs Materials that are sent for peer re- view will be returned to the author, along with reviewers’ and editorial suggestions. If the Editor has accepted the article, he or she will endeavor to levise and return the manuscript within 60 days. If the ar- ticle needs major work, the author may be invited to revise and re-submit it for future acceptance. For peer-reviewed articles, proofs will be mailed to the author before pub- lication. Corrections should be returned within one week (e-mail reply is encour- aged). Proofs of other materials will not be sent to the author unless he or she re- quests them. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fail 2002 • Page 132 PUBLISHED PROCEEDINGS OF SYMPOSIA OF THE PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP The Pacific Seabird Group holds occasional symposia at its annual meetings. Published symposia are listed below. They are available for purchase (unless out of print). To order, see the membership application/publication order form. SHOREBERDS IN MARINE ENVIRONMENTS. Frank A. Pitelka (Editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Padfik Seabiid Gioiqp. Asaomar, California, January 1977. PuWidied June 1979 in Studies in AvianBk]k^,Nun±er2 Chit of pdnL TROPICAL SEABIRD BIOLOGY. Ralph W. Schreiber (Editor). Pnx:eedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Honolulu, Hawaii, December 1982. Published February 1984 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 8. Out of print MARINE BIRDS: THEIR FEEDING ECOLOGY AND COMMERCIAL FISHERIES RELATIONSHIPS. David N. Nettleship, Gerald A. Sanger, and Paul F. Springer (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Seattle, Wash- ington, January 1982. Published 1984 as Canadian Wldhfe Service, Special Publication. Out of print THE USE OF NATURAL VS. MAN-MODIFIED WETLANDS BY SHOREBIRDS AND WATERBIRDS. R. Michael Erwin, Malcolm C, Coulter, and Howard L. Cogswell (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium at the first joint meeting of the Colonial Waterbird Society and the Pacific Seabird Group, San Francisco, California, December 1985. Colonial Waterbirds 9(2), 1986. $12.00 from Ornithological Societies of North America, PO Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044; phone (800) 627-0629. ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF GULLS. Judith L. Hand, William E. Southern, and Kees Vermeer (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Colonial Waterbird Society and the Pacific Seabird Group, San Francisco, California, December 1985. PublishaJ June 1987 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 10. $18.50. AUKS AT SEA. Spencer G. Sealy (Editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Pacific Grove, Cahfomia, December 1987. Published December 1990 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 14. $16.00. STATUS AND CONSERVATION OF THE MARBLED MURRELET IN NORTH AMERICA. Harry C. Carter, and Michael L. Morrison (Editors). Proceedings of a Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Pacific Grove, California, December 1987. Published October 1992 in Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Volume 5, Number 1. $20.00. THE STATUS, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE BIRDS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC. Kees Venneer, Kenneth T. Briggs, Ken H. Morgan, and Etouglas Siegei-Causey (editors). Proceeding of a Symposium of tte P^ufic Seabird Group, Canadian Wildlife Service, and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Mctoria, British Columbia, Febnary 1990. Pubhshai 1993 as a Canadian Wildlife Service Special Publication, Catalog Number CW66-124-1993E. Free of charge from: Publications Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, K1AOH3, Carmda. BIOLOGY OF MARBLED MURRELETS— INLAND AND AT SEA. S. Kim Nelson and Spencer G. Sealy (Editors). Proceedings of a Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Seattle, Washington, February 1993. Published 1995 in Northwestern Naturalist, Volume 76, Number 1. $12.00. BEHAVIOUR AND ECOLOGY OF THE SEA DUCKS. Ian Goudie, Margaret R. Peterseen and Gregory J. Robertson (editors). Proceedings of the Pacific Seabird Group Symposium, Victoria, British Columbia, 8-12 November 1995. A special publication compiled by the Canadian Wildlife Service fortiiePacife Seabiid Gioi 5 ).Pub!ished 1999 as Canadian WikIlife Service OocasionalPapernumber 100, catalog number CW69-1/10CE. Free cf charge fivnc PuNicalions DivisiDn, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, K1AOH3, Canada. SEABIRD BYCATCH: TRENDS, ROADBLOCKS AND SOLUTIONS. Edward F. Melvin and Julia K. Parrish (editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Blaine, Washington, 26-27 February 1999. Published 2001 by University of Alaska Sea Grant, Fairlmnks, Alaska. Ihiblication no. AK-SG-01-01. $40.00)roni the publisher. BIOLOGY, STATUS, AND CONSERVATION OF JAPANESE SEABIRDS. Nariko Oka (editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Japanese Seabird Group and Pacific Seabiid Group, Lihue, Hawaii, February 2001. Journal of the Yamashina Institute of Ornithology 33(2); Symposium (5 papers), pp 57-147, other papera pp. 148-213. In English with Japan^e abstracts. $75.00. Information on presenting symposia: Pacific Seabird Group Symposia are initiated by any PSG member with interest in a p^^ar topic. The goal is to present a collection of papers that explore and review this topic, usually at an annual meeting of the P^ific Seabird Group, rome cases the papers are then edited and published as a PSG Symposium. Anyone interested in organizing a symposium must first contac^m u ^ Coordinator of the Publications Committee and the Scientific Program Chair for an annual meeting. Gmdelines wm be provided on oDtaimng approval and on organizing, presenting, and pubtishing a F^G Symposium, including the responsibilities mvolv . Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • FaU 2002 * PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP COMMITTEE COORDINATORS Contact committee coordinators for information on activities of committees and how you can partici- pate. CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Craig S, Harrison,4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA. Telephone: (202) 778*2240, e-mail. charrison@erols.com ELECTION COMMITTEE Pat Baird, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840 USA. Telephone: (562) 985-1780, fax: (562) 985-8878, e-mail: patbaird@csulb.edu JAPAN SEABIRD CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Koji Ono, office: Hokkaido Seabird Center, Kita 6-1, Haboro,Tomamae 078-4116 Japan. Telephone: 01 1-81-1646-9-2080, fax: 011-81-1^6-9-2090; home: 2-506, Sakaemachi 93-12 Haboro, Tomamae 078-4123 Japan. Telephone and fax: 011-81-1646-2- 1324, e-mail: kojiono@gol. com; and John Fries, Laboratory for Wildlife Biology, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi Bunkyo- ku, 1 I 3 Tokyo, Japan. Telephone/fax; 011-81-356-89-7254, e-mail: firies@uf.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp MARBLED MURRELET TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Anne Harfenist, RO. Box 2498, Smithers, B.C. VOJ 2N0 Canada. Telephone: (250) 847-1730, e-mail: harfenis@bulkley.net PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Patrick Jodice, South CaroUna Cooperative Research Unit, G27 Lehotsky HaU, Clemson University, aemson, SC 29634. Telephone: (864) 656-6190, e-mail: PJodice@clemson.edu SEABIRD MONITORING COMMITTEE Scott Hatch, Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Biological Science Center, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503 USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3529, fax: (907) 786-3636, e-mail: scott_hatch@usgs.gov XANTUS’S MURRELET TECHNICAL COMMITTEE William Everett, Endangered Species Recovery Council, P. O. Box 1085, La JoUa, CA 92038 USA. Telephone: (858) 456- 7077, fax: (858) 456-7121, e-mail: everett@esrc.oig, and Kenneth Briggs, Danville Veterinary Hospital, 812 Camino Ramon Road, Danville, CA 94526 USA Telephone: (925) 837-4264, fax: (925) 837-0467, e-mail: ktbriggs@hotmail.com PSG DELEGATES TO THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY Craig S. Harrison, 4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA. Telephone: (202) 778-2240, e-mail: charrison@erols.com; and Malcolm C. Coulter, P.O. Box 48, Chocorua, NH 03817 USA. Telephone: (603) 323-9342, e- mail: coultermc@aol.com AWARDS COMMITTEE The Awards Committee consists of the Past Chair, Chair, and Chair-elect. The CommitteeCoordinator for 2002 is Bill Sydeman, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone: (415) 868-1221, ext. 19, fax: (415) 868-1946, e-mail: wjsydeman@prbo.org. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 134 PSG LIFE MEMBERS 2002 David G. Ainley Lisa Haggblom S. Kim Nelson Sarah G. ADen Judith Latta Hand David R. Nysewander Daniel W. Anderson Craig S. Harrison Harou Ogi - Pat H. Baird Scott A. Hatch Koji Ono Lisa Ballance Monica Herzig Zurcher Julia K. Parrish Kenneth T. Briggs Nancy Hillstrand C. John Ralph Joanna Burger Joel D. Hubbard William P. Ritchie Ellen \V.Chu David B. Irons Chad Roberts 1 Roger B. Clapp Karl W. Kenyon Palmer C. Sekora Sheila Conant James G. King Nanette Seto ' I Cheryl Conel Kathy Kuletz Kouzi Shiomi 1 Malcolm C. Coulter James Kushlan Douglas Siegel-Causey 1 Theodore L, Cross Lora Leschner William E. Southern :h li Robert H. Day David B. Lewis Arthur L. Sowls 1! Tony DeGange Peter Major Jeffrey A. Spendelow 1 Jan Dierks Eugene Y. Makishima Takaki Terasawa George J. Divoky Vivian Mendenhall W. Breck T^ler i Stewart Fefer Gayle Merlen Enriquetta Velarde Gonzalez J li Lloyd C. Fitzpatrick Godfrey Merlen John S. Warriner '\ \\ Elizabeth Flint Pat Mock Yutaka Watanuki Douglas J. Forsell Edward C, Murphy Jeff Williams k Michael Fry Maura Naughton V RECIPIENTS OF PSG’s LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Philip and Myrtle Ashmole James C. Bartonek W.R.P. Bourne Richard G.B, Brown Charles Guiguet* Thomas R. Howell Karl W. Kenyon James G. King Miklos D.F. Udvardy^ John Warham RECIPIENTS OF PSG’s SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD George J. Divoky Craig S. Harrison Arthur L. Sowls Steven M. Speich^ Malcolm Coulter Hiroshi Hasegawa tDeceased Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 ♦ Page L Pacific Seabird Group Membership Application/Publication Order Form (Please copy) Viembership (includes subscription to Pacific Seabirds) ndividual and Family $25,00 >tudent (undergraduate and graduate) $15.00 Life Membership* (optional payment plan, five $120 installments) $750.00 Sponsored Membership $25.00 Contributions^ To the Endowment Fund^ Other (please specify) Back issues of Pacific Seabirds Vols. 1-8 (1974-198 1) @ $2.50/issue (two issues/year) Specify Volume(s) and Number(s) x $2.50 Vols. 9-present @ $5.00yissue (two issues/year) Specify Volume(s) and Number(s) x $5.00 PSG SYMPOSIA . Use of Natural vs. Man-modified Wetlands by Shorebirds and Waterbirds: Order from publisher^ Ecology and Behavior of Gulls x $ 1 8.50 Auks at Sea .x $16.00 Status, Ecology, and Conservation of Marine Birds of the North Pacific: Free of charge Status and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet in North America x $20.00 Biology of Marbled Murrelets: Inland and at Sea ^x $12.00 Behaviour and Ecology of Sea Ducks: Free of charge^ Seabird Byctatach: Trends, Roadblocks, and Solutions: Order from publisher^ Biology, Status, and Conservation of Japanese Seabirds x $75.00 PSG Technical Publications Number 1, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Seabird Restoration Workshop ^x $18.00 Books The Ancient Murrelet xSO.OO TOTAL ENCLOSED (U.S. Dollars) Prices include postage (surface rate) and handling. SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER (in U.S. Dollars, made payable to the Pacific Seabird Group) TO: Breck Tyler, Treasurer, Pacific Seabird Group Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA. Telephone: (831) 426-5740, e-mail: ospr@cats.ucsc.edu $. $. $. $. $. $. $ $. $_ $. $. $_ $. $- i * Contributions may be tax-deductible; see inside front cover for more information. 2 Proceeds from Life Memberships and contributions go to the Endowment Fund, which supports the publications of the Pacific Seabird Group. 3 To order, see information in “Published Proceedings of Symposia of the Pacific Seabird Group,” above. Member/Sponsor or Order Name ■ — Address — Deliver/Ship to (if different) Name. — Address — Telephone. Fax E-mail Telephone. Fax E-mail_ Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 2 • Fall 2002 • Page 136 PSG EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 2002 Chair Officers Lisa Ballance, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 94037, USA. Telephone: (858) 546-7173; fax; (858) 546-7003; e- mail: Lisa.Ballance@NOAA.gov. Chair Elect David Irons, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503, USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3376; fax (907) 786-3610; e-mail: DavidJrons@fws.gov. Past Chair BiD Sydeman, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone; (415) 868-1221, ext. 19; fax: (415) 868-1946; e-mail: wjsydeman@prbo.org. Vice-Chair for Conservation Craig S. Harrison, 4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA. Telephone: (202) 778-2240; e-mail: charrison@erois.com Treasurer W. Breck lyier. Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA. Tele- phone: (831) 426-5740; e-mail: ospr@cats.ucsc.edu Secretary Lora Leschner, Washington Dept, of Fish and Wildlife, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, WA 98102, USA. Telephone: (425) 776-131 1 , ext. 421 ; fax: (425) 338-1066; e-mail: leschlll@dfw.wa.gov Editor, Pacific Seabirds Vivian Mendenhall, 4600 Rabbit Creek Rd., Anchorage, AK 99516, USA. Telephone: (907) 345- 7124; fax (907) 345-0686; e-mail: fasgadair@att.net Alaska and Russia Regional Representatives Verena A. Gill, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, 101 1 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503-6199, USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3584; fax; (907) 786-3816; e-mail. verena_gill@fws.gov. Canada Ken Morgan, Canadian Wildlife Service, c/o Institute of Ocean Sciences, RO. Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L4B2, Canada. Telephone: (250) 363-6537; fax:.(250) 363-6390, e-mail: morgank@pac.dfo- mpo.gc.ca Washington and Oregon Jan Hodder, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon, Charleston, OR 97420, USA. Telephone: (541) 888-2581, ext. 215; fax: (541) 888-03250; e-mail: Jhodder@oimb.uoregon.edu. Northern California Meredith Elliott, Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline High- way, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone: (415) 868-1221, ext. 316; fax: (415) 868-1946; e- mail: melliott@prbo.org Southern California Fat Mock, URS Corporation, 1615 Murray Canyon Road, Suite 1000, San Diego, CA 92108, USA. Telephone: (619) 294-9400; fax: (619) 293-7920; e-mail: patrick„mock@urscorp.com Non-Pacific United States Malcolm C. Coulter, RO. Box 480, Chocorua, NH 03817, USA. Telephone: (603) 323-9342; fax: (603) 323-9342; e-mail: coultermc@aol.com. Pacific Rim Elizabeth Flint, USFWS, Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge, RO. Box 50167, Ho- nolulu, HI 96850, USA. Telephone: (808) 541-1201; fax: (808) 541-1216; e-mail: beth_flint@fws.gov ^ Old World pStudent Representative Mark Tasker, JNCC, Dunnet House, 7 Thistle Rlace, Aberdeen AB 10 lUZ, Scotland, UK. Tele- phone: Oil (from US/Canada) + 44-1224-642863, fax; 011-44-1224-6214-88; e-mail: tasker_m@jncc.gov.uk or mltasker@aol.com Stephani Zador, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University ofWashington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Telephone; (206) 221-6904; fax: (206) 206-6939; e-mail: szador@u. washington.edu .