Audubon California and Seabirds

Audubon California is taking advantage of a number of opportunities in the area of seabird conservation.

Audubon California is taking advantage of a number of opportunities in the area of seabird conservation, as well as some organizational advantages that will enable us to make significant gains for these important birds.

Marine Important Bird Areas
With the region’s top marine ornithologists, we are identifying areas of highest importance for marine bird breeding, feeding and resting from Canada through Baja. Results will be used to guide and improve conservation efforts by Audubon, public agencies, nonprofits, and citizen partners. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2010.

Important Bird Areas are uniquely important for bird conservation and serve as focus points for conservation and planning. So far, the vast majority of IBA’s are terrestrial. You can see a list of California’s Important Bird Areas here.

Audubon California is leading a three-year, tri-national effort to identify marine Imporant Bird Areas in the entire northeast Pacific, from “Barrow to Baja.” Marine ornithologists from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada are advising us on key areas on the coast and ocean for seabird breeding and foraging in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. Once the maps are finalized, Audubon and its partners will have a powerful tool for seabird conservation.

A unique challenge is to identify areas of the ocean that are persistently good foraging areas across many years and highly variable ocean conditions. We are using cutting edge research from leading marine ornithologists to find the “signal” of good foraging areas over the background “noise” of less-optimal areas.

We are already using our preliminary Important Bird Areas to affect policy. In the California Marine Life Protection Act process, we are ensuring that new marine reserves are sited in part to benefit marine birds such as California Least Tern, Pacific Brown Pelican, Common Murre and Laysan Albatross. These reserves protect forage fish stocks and protect seabirds from disturbance. There are opportunities on the horizon to use the marine IBA’s to protect birds through Marine Spatial Planning and advise agencies on offshore energy facility siting.

Marine Life Protection Act
California is in the midst of a process to develop marine protected areas (MPAs) in its three-mile jurisdictional area. Two of five total regions have been completed, setting aside 12% as marine reserves protecting all marine life. Seabirds are explicit beneficiaries of the process, and benefit from improved availability of forage, and protection from disturbance. For example, the “rockfish reserve” MPAs around the Farallon Islands will do much to secure this critical food source into the future.

Audubon is the only voice for seabirds in this process, and we will continue to push for the strongest possible protections for seabirds while accommodating commercial and recreational fishing, a vital part of our economy and culture. Specifically, we provide technical support for those designing the MPAs; organize and encourage Chapter support for a strong network of MPAs, and directly advocate for a strong network of MPAs.

You can learn more about our work under the Marine Life Protection Act here.

Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) is an international treaty whose fundamental goal is to maintain healthy populations of albatrosses and petrels. It works to achieve these goals through research, monitoring, and conservation measures such as reduction of incidental mortality in fisheries and maintenance of habitats. We are working in California and in Washington, D.C. to push the U.S. to join this multilateral agreement which provides the best hope for reversing the devastation of the world’s albatross species. While it is the many southern hemisphere species that are most imperiled, U.S. endorsement of the Agreement will position us as a leader in applying best practices proven here, at a global scale. It will also help to even the playing field for U.S. fishing fleets that have complied with bird-saving practices.

Citizen Science
We are initiating a number of new projects harnessing the dedication of our chapter members. Target species include Black Oystercatcher, CA Least Tern, and Western Snowy Plover.

Forage Species
We are advocating for stronger protections for key forage species for seabirds such as krill, sardines, market squid and anchovy.

Review of new conservation and public works programs
We evaluate new parks and refuge management plans, energy siting plans, and ESA documents for their consideration of marine birds, and make comments or take action as appropriate

How you can help, right now