So what are a bunch of researchers and conservationists from Audubon California doing in Victoria, Canada? Well, they’re attending the first ever World Seabird Conference to promote new research on West Coast marine important bird areas. Working closely with our Audubon colleagues from The National Audubon Society, Audubon Alaska, Nature Canada, and host of top marine ornithologists, we’ve been leading a three-year, tri-national effort to identify the areas of highest importance for marine bird breeding, feeding and resting from Canada through Baja. We’re going to be showing off the early results of this effort at the conference. Ultimately, this work will be used to guide and improve conservation efforts by Audubon, public agencies, nonprofits, and citizen partners. (Ashy Storm-Petrel by Glen Tepke)

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.