Conservation of Marine Birds

Description

Conservation of Marine Birds is the first book to outline and synthesize the myriad of threats faced by one of the most imperiled groups of birds on earth. With more than half of all 346 seabird species worldwide experiencing population declines and 29% of species recognized as globally threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the timing to determine solutions to threats could not be more urgent. Written by a diverse team of international experts on marine birds, this book explores the environmental and biogeographical factors that influence seabird conservation and provides concrete recommendations for mounting climate change issues. This book will be an important resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as ecologists and students who want to understand seabirds, the threats they are facing, and tactics to help conserve and protect them. Front Cover Conservation of Marine Birds Copyright Contents Contributors Section I: Threats Chapter 1 Ecology of marine birds Life history and adaptations What is a marine bird? Morphological and physiological adaptations Ecological importance Population biology Lifespan and age at first breeding Population variation Survival Reproductive success Breeding ecology Coloniality Nesting habitats Phenology Pair formation and incubation Chick rearing Foraging ecology Foraging strategies—Searching for and locating prey Feeding methods—Capturing prey Differences between temperate and tropical seabirds Conclusions References Chapter 2 Conservation status and overview of threats to seabirds Seabird status and trends Threats to seabirds Bycatch Overfishing Invasive alien species Changing climate Disease Pollution Habitat loss and development Hunting and harvesting Disturbance Loss of subsurface predators in tropics Guano harvesting Hybridization Offshore wind farms Fishing discards Conclusions References Chapter 3 Interactions between fisheries and seabirds: Prey modification, discards, and bycatch Introduction Associations, models, experiments, inference Costs and benefits Direct mortality Objectives Forage fisheries Fisheries for large pelagic and demersal fishes Discards, offal, and food quality Discard removal Bycatch Longline fisheries Gillnet fisheries Trawl fisheries Purse-seine fisheries Disturbance Aquaculture Projected trends, emerging threats, and environmental synergisms Knowledge gaps, future research Conclusions Acknowledgments References Chapter 4 Invasive species threats to seabirds Introduction A short history of invasive species, islands, and why seabirds are threatened Why seabirds are at risk from invasive species: The timing, scope, and severity of threats Invasive mammals threaten seabird survival globally Invasive mammalian predators Invasive mammalian herbivores The impacts of non-mammalian invasive species on seabirds Invasive animals: Reptiles, birds, fish, and invertebrates Terrestrial invasive plants Parasites, diseases, and viruses Native problematic species Projected trends in invasive species introductions and emergent threats Climate change and invasive species Conclusions and future directions in addressing invasive species threats to seabirds References Chapter 5 Health and diseases Introduction Which infectious agents and biotoxins are most important? Case studies Highly pathogenic avian influenza in seabirds in southern Africa Avian pox in albatrosses in Hawaii Pasteurellosis in Arctic and Subantarctic seabirds Paralytic shellfish poisoning in seabirds at the Falkland/Malvinas Islands Projected trends and emerging threats Knowledge gaps Best practices for biosecurity at seabird colonies Special precautionary measures during disease outbreaks or unusual mortality events Conclusions Glossary Acknowledgments References Chapter 6 Pollution—Lights, plastics, oil, and contaminants Introduction: Scope and severity of threats Overview Plastics and contaminants Occurrence in marine ecosystems Physical impacts Ingestion Body condition and reproduction Entanglement Links between plastics and contaminants Oil pollution Occurrence in marine ecosystems Physical impacts Internal effects Body condition, stress, and reproduction Light pollution Fatal attraction to ALAN Factors affecting fallout Other impacts Colony attendance Diurnal activity extension to night hours Physiological impacts Pollution connections Species and regions most impacted Plastics Species Foraging ecology Life history stage Contaminants Species Foraging ecology Life history stage Oil pollution Species and regions Light pollution Species Regions Interactions with climate change Plastics Contaminants Oil pollution Light pollution Projected trends Plastics Contaminants Oil pollution Light pollution Emerging threats, knowledge gaps, and future research Plastics Monitoring programs using seabirds Contaminants Oil pollution Light pollution Conclusions Acknowledgments References Chapter 7 Exploitation and disturbance Human history, seabird ecology, and exploitation Temporal aspects of exploitation Catastrophic events Chronic effects Types of exploitation Seabird excrement or guano Harvesting The technology of subsistence harvesting Egging Nestlings Feathers Other uses for seabirds Taking of seabirds for sport and cultural reasons Seabird populations that conflict with economic interests Disturbance and nonlethal exploitation Tourism and disturbance Seabirds as inspiration The impacts of windfarms on seabirds Discussion Acknowledgments References Further reading Chapter 8 Climate change: The ecological backdrop of seabird conservation Introduction Seabird responses to climate change Distribution Phenology Demographic Diet Climate change impacts seabirds through timing, distribution, and biomass of prey Effects of climate on seabird life history stages Species’ vulnerabilities to climate change Geographic variability in climate and ocean change Geographic variability in studies of seabird responses to climate change Geographic variability in effect of climate change on seabirds Life history traits Life history trade-offs Prey selection Migration Population-scale vulnerability Challenges in understanding and predicting the influence of climate change on seabirds References Section II: Solutions Chapter 9 Introduction and historical approaches to seabird conservation Introduction Finding nest sites of critically endangered species Protecting breeding colonies Providing and protecting individual nest sites Mitigating mortality induced by artificial lights and structures Mitigating the impacts of fisheries Encouraging seabirds to breed at new or restored sites Conclusions References Chapter 10 Legal and cooperative mechanisms for conserving marine birds Introduction Legal and other tools Land-based protections Designation of parks, refuges, and sanctuaries Regulation of exploitation Endangered species Protections at sea Marine protected areas and sanctuaries Fisheries management Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Conservation and management measures Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) Oil and plastic pollution Discussion and conclusions Disclaimer Acknowledgments References Chapter 11 Cultural aspects of seabird conservation Introduction Indigenous worldviews and perspectives of nature Biocultural relationships between Indigenous Peoples and seabirds Biocultural relationships and Indigenous resource management guide conservation and sustainable harvest of seabirds Local Community perspectives of seabirds Governance and comanagement Recommendations Social and environmental justice in seabird conservation Conclusions References Chapter 12 Managing harvests of seabirds and their eggs Introduction Harvest management in the current context of seabird conservation Harvest and population dynamics Regional patterns Diverse socio-ecological systems Diverse harvest management regimes Tools and effectiveness Harvest management strategies Data needs for harvest management Knowledge gaps and future research Disentangle threats, prioritize conservation efforts Conclusions Healthy seabird populations support sustainable harvests, people are intrinsic to solutions Acknowledgments References Chapter 13 Mitigating light attraction Introduction Attraction to artificial lights Tools and effectiveness Avoidance Duration Light spill Intensity Spectral composition Rescue campaigns Knowledge gaps and future research Biology of the species Threshold light levels and distance from light sources Fate of rescued birds Rehabilitation Light traits to minimize attraction References Chapter 14 Reducing collisions with structures Introduction Identifying factors that impact seabird collision risk Collision risk factor 1—The frequency of seabirds flying at powerlines Life history/morphology Environmental Powerline configuration Collision risk factor 2—The detectability of powerlines Life history/morphology Environmental Powerline configuration Collision risk factor 3—Collision avoidance Life history/morphology Environmental Powerline configuration Summary of collision risk and seabird groups with elevated risk Infrastructure with similar collision risk characteristics to powerlines Methods for reducing seabird collisions with powerlines and similar infrastructure Remove wires from seabird airspace Influence seabirds to alter their flight height to avoid powerline airspace Preconstruction planning Knowledge gaps and future research Conclusions References Chapter 15 Conservation of marine birds: Biosecurity, control, and eradication of invasive species threats Introduction Tools and planning considerations Biosecurity—Preventing the threat Eradication—Eliminating the threat Long-term control—Functionally suppressing the threat Fencing as a tool in support of invasive species solutions Effectiveness of IAS solutions and seabird recovery Operational effectiveness and biological outcomes of biosecurity Operational effectiveness and biological outcomes of eradication Operational effectiveness and biological outcomes of control Regional trends in invasive species management Case study: Biosecurity, control, and eradication to benefit seabirds on Mexican islands Emerging tools and trends in invasive species solutions for seabirds Conclusions References Chapter 16 Fisheries regulation and conserving prey bases Introduction Seabirds and prey resources Prey depletion—Fisheries effects on seabirds Case studies Shetland sandeel fishery NW North Sea sandeel fishery South Georgia krill fishery South African Anchovy and Sardine fisheries Wadden Sea shellfish fishery Regulation of forage fish and krill fisheries Regulation of fisheries for large predatory fish Discards and offal Discussion References Chapter 17 Bycatch reduction Introduction Determination of risk posed to seabirds from fisheries Best practice seabird bycatch mitigation The role of CCAMLR and ACAP in addressing seabird bycatch Criteria for best practice mitigation of seabird bycatch Accepted/emerging best practice seabird bycatch reduction by gear type Time/area closures Longline fisheries Trawl catcher-processors Gillnets Purse seine fisheries Research to implementation The challenges associated with implementation of best practice mitigation measures Fishery certification programs Quantifying seabird bycatch and ensuring compliance At-sea monitoring Port monitoring Sustaining awareness through education and support Case studies of fisheries successfully reducing seabird bycatch CCAMLR demersal longline fisheries Alaska demersal longline fisheries Namibia demersal longline and trawl fisheries Hawaii pelagic longline fisheries Falkland Islands' trawl fishery Measuring success Future directions Technological advancements Challenges presented by certain gear types Conclusions References Chapter 18 Protecting marine habitats: Spatial conservation measures for seabirds at sea Introduction Fundamentals of marine protection Families of conservation measures Why to protect and some guiding principles Conservation targets Perspectives on Indigenous conservation Protection measures A spectrum of conservation measures Tools in the toolbox What and where to protect Spatial conservation for seabirds at sea Spatial conservation for ecosystem function Priority sites How to protect: Approaches and strategies Who is involved? Spatial planning Bottom-up or top-down Costs and benefits of marine protections Implementation and effectiveness Research and policy priorities Summary and conclusion References Chapter 19 Restoration: Social attraction and translocation Introduction Identifying a seabird restoration project Selecting seabird restoration sites Selecting a restoration approach Social attraction methods Decoys and mirrors Audio attractants Olfactory attractants Translocation Selecting a source colony Transportation recommendations to reduce stress Carrying case designs Feeding translocated chicks Artificial nest structures Case studies Restoration of Atlantic Puffins to historic nesting sites in the Gulf of Maine, USA Restoration and assisted colonization of Procellariiform seabirds in Hawaii, USA Chatham Island Taiko ( Pterodroma magentae) translocation Social attraction and translocation of seabirds in Baja California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico A global Seabird Restoration Database Knowledge gaps and future work References Further reading Chapter 20 Conclusions and the future of seabird conservation References Index Back Cover