Beginning in 2015, large numbers of dead seabirds have been appearing on beaches in most marine areas of Alaska. Although seabird die-offs are known to occur sporadically (e.g. 1970, 1989, 1993, 1997/1998, and 2004) in Alaska, these recent die-offs have been distinguished from past events by their increased frequency, duration, geographic extent, and number of different species involved.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems >> Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Recent die-offs
The first large die-off occurred from spring of 2015 to spring of 2016 when about 47,000 Common Murres (Uria aalge), an abundant and important subsistence seabird species in Alaska, were discovered dying or dead on beaches and lakes across Alaska. The die-off was centered in the Gulf of Alaska but stretched all the way from southern California to the southeast Bering Sea. Total mortality was estimated to range from 0.5-1.2 million birds, marking the largest die-off of seabirds ever recorded in the Pacific Ocean.
Multiple die-off events of smaller magnitude have also occurred in Alaska since 2016, primarily in the Bering and Chukchi seas, including die-offs of Tufted (Fratercula cirrhata) and Horned (Fratercula corniculata) puffin, Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia), Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella), Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), and a few other species. For example, in summer 2019 over 8,500 Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) were discovered dead in the Bering and Chukchi seas.
What is USGS doing about seabird die-offs?
Researchers at the USGS Alaska Science Center have been working in collaboration with many partner agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and rehabilitation centers to investigate seabird die-offs. We conduct surveys to investigate the distribution and magnitude of die-off events, and we examine carcasses to determine the possible cause(s) of death. We are also trying to understand the potential role of harmful algal bloom toxins and are monitoring forage fish populations to better understand the availability and quality of seabird prey. Additionally, we study the effects of the die-offs on seabird reproduction and population size.
Why do seabird die-offs occur?
Most seabird die-offs occur when birds are not able to find, catch and eat enough food to keep up with their high energetic demands. Examination of carcasses following die-offs usually indicate that most birds have died of starvation. Die-offs often occur during the winter, when it is colder and requires more food to maintain body condition, and frequently follow storms, which can push birds away from their prey and make it harder to forage. Changes in prey availability owing to overfishing or competition for prey with other bird, mammal and fish predators can also result in die-offs. Other factors that can lead to die-offs include poisoning by harmful algal bloom neurotoxins and oil spills.
Are die-offs associated with marine heatwaves?
Marine heatwaves are characterized by unusually warm water that can extend over large areas of the ocean and last for long periods of time. Seabird die-offs have occurred at the same time as marine heatwaves in the North Pacific and Bering and Chukchi seas.
What happened to seabird prey during the North Pacific marine heatwave in 2014-2016?
The North Pacific marine heatwave in 2014-2016 was the longest marine heatwave documented at the time, with high sea surface temperatures recorded through multiple winters. During this period of unusual ocean warming, the availability and quality of prey resources decreased abruptly. For example, the occurrence of key forage fish species including Pacific capelin and Pacific sand lance declined in seabird diets. By summer of 2016 the energy content of Pacific sand lance was reduced by 89% compared to 2012-2013 when waters were cooler. Lower prey availability and lower prey quality likely explain why the majority of die-off seabirds starved during 2015-2016. It also appears likely that warm ocean temperatures increased the metabolic rates of large predatory fish like Pacific cod and walleye pollock, leading to a large increase in their consumption of prey also eaten by seabirds.
From Partners
- https://www.nps.gov/subjects/aknatureandscience/commonmurrewreck.htm
- https://www.fws.gov/alaska/stories/2019-alaska-seabird-die [Factsheet]
- https://www.fws.gov/alaska/stories/2018-alaska-seabird-die [Factsheet]
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/keeping-a-finger-on-the-pulse-of-coastal-birds.htm
News
- Story Map on Pacific Marine Heatwave and Seabird Die-off: The story map, developed by the National Park Service, describes what we have learned from the massive seabird die-off in the north Pacific.
- USGS: A Marine Mystery: What’s Causing Seabird Die-Offs in Alaska?
- https://www.journalgazette.net/news/science/Alaska-bird-die-off-a-puzzle-12001041
- https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/researchers-warm-pacific-water-led-to-vast-seabird-die-off
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=770
- https://www.adn.com/wildlife/article/massive-murre-die-leaves-prince-william-sound-beaches-lined-seabird-bodies/2016/01/06
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonwells/thousands-of-dead-seabirds-found-in-alaska-in-unprecedented
- https://www.kbbi.org/post/common-murres-show-small-signs-comeback-gulf-alaska-bering-sea
- https://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/03/17/seabird-die-off-takes-twist-with-carcasses-in-alaska-lake
- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/why-are-birds-and-seals-starving-in-a-bering-sea-full-of-fish
- https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/mass-die-offs-of-puffins-in-alaska-may-be-linked-to-climate-change
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins in Alaska Seabirds
Algal Toxins and Wildlife Health
Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Data from Common Murre Die-off Surveys and Necropsies Following the North Pacific Marine Heatwave, 2015-2016
Below are publications associated with this project.
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
Algal toxins in Alaskan seabirds: Evaluating the role of saxitoxin and domoic acid in a large-scale die-off of Common Murres
Effects of ocean climate on the length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska
Mortality of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) and other alcids during an unusual mortality event in the eastern Bering Sea
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Unusual foraging observations associated with seabird die-offs in Alaska
Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015
Avian cholera causes marine bird mortality in the Bering Sea of Alaska
Fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning in Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nestlings, Alaska, USA
Biological effects of the 1997/98 ENSO in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Mass-mortality of guillemots (Uria aalge) in the Gulf of Alaska in 1993
Response of common murres to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and long-term changes in the Gulf of Alaska marine ecosystem
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are the partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Beginning in 2015, large numbers of dead seabirds have been appearing on beaches in most marine areas of Alaska. Although seabird die-offs are known to occur sporadically (e.g. 1970, 1989, 1993, 1997/1998, and 2004) in Alaska, these recent die-offs have been distinguished from past events by their increased frequency, duration, geographic extent, and number of different species involved.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems >> Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Recent die-offs
Common Murre(Credit: Sarah Schoen, USGS. Public domain.) The first large die-off occurred from spring of 2015 to spring of 2016 when about 47,000 Common Murres (Uria aalge), an abundant and important subsistence seabird species in Alaska, were discovered dying or dead on beaches and lakes across Alaska. The die-off was centered in the Gulf of Alaska but stretched all the way from southern California to the southeast Bering Sea. Total mortality was estimated to range from 0.5-1.2 million birds, marking the largest die-off of seabirds ever recorded in the Pacific Ocean.
Multiple die-off events of smaller magnitude have also occurred in Alaska since 2016, primarily in the Bering and Chukchi seas, including die-offs of Tufted (Fratercula cirrhata) and Horned (Fratercula corniculata) puffin, Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia), Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella), Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), and a few other species. For example, in summer 2019 over 8,500 Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) were discovered dead in the Bering and Chukchi seas.
What is USGS doing about seabird die-offs?
Researchers at the USGS Alaska Science Center have been working in collaboration with many partner agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities and rehabilitation centers to investigate seabird die-offs. We conduct surveys to investigate the distribution and magnitude of die-off events, and we examine carcasses to determine the possible cause(s) of death. We are also trying to understand the potential role of harmful algal bloom toxins and are monitoring forage fish populations to better understand the availability and quality of seabird prey. Additionally, we study the effects of the die-offs on seabird reproduction and population size.
Emaciated Short-tailed Shearwater carcasses littered the beaches of Bristol Bay during the summer of 2019.(Credit: Sarah Schoen, U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.) Why do seabird die-offs occur?
Most seabird die-offs occur when birds are not able to find, catch and eat enough food to keep up with their high energetic demands. Examination of carcasses following die-offs usually indicate that most birds have died of starvation. Die-offs often occur during the winter, when it is colder and requires more food to maintain body condition, and frequently follow storms, which can push birds away from their prey and make it harder to forage. Changes in prey availability owing to overfishing or competition for prey with other bird, mammal and fish predators can also result in die-offs. Other factors that can lead to die-offs include poisoning by harmful algal bloom neurotoxins and oil spills.
Are die-offs associated with marine heatwaves?
Marine heatwaves are characterized by unusually warm water that can extend over large areas of the ocean and last for long periods of time. Seabird die-offs have occurred at the same time as marine heatwaves in the North Pacific and Bering and Chukchi seas.
What happened to seabird prey during the North Pacific marine heatwave in 2014-2016?
The North Pacific marine heatwave in 2014-2016 was the longest marine heatwave documented at the time, with high sea surface temperatures recorded through multiple winters. During this period of unusual ocean warming, the availability and quality of prey resources decreased abruptly. For example, the occurrence of key forage fish species including Pacific capelin and Pacific sand lance declined in seabird diets. By summer of 2016 the energy content of Pacific sand lance was reduced by 89% compared to 2012-2013 when waters were cooler. Lower prey availability and lower prey quality likely explain why the majority of die-off seabirds starved during 2015-2016. It also appears likely that warm ocean temperatures increased the metabolic rates of large predatory fish like Pacific cod and walleye pollock, leading to a large increase in their consumption of prey also eaten by seabirds.
From Partners
- https://www.nps.gov/subjects/aknatureandscience/commonmurrewreck.htm
- https://www.fws.gov/alaska/stories/2019-alaska-seabird-die [Factsheet]
- https://www.fws.gov/alaska/stories/2018-alaska-seabird-die [Factsheet]
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/keeping-a-finger-on-the-pulse-of-coastal-birds.htm
News
- Story Map on Pacific Marine Heatwave and Seabird Die-off: The story map, developed by the National Park Service, describes what we have learned from the massive seabird die-off in the north Pacific.
- USGS: A Marine Mystery: What’s Causing Seabird Die-Offs in Alaska?
- https://www.journalgazette.net/news/science/Alaska-bird-die-off-a-puzzle-12001041
- https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/researchers-warm-pacific-water-led-to-vast-seabird-die-off
- https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=770
- https://www.adn.com/wildlife/article/massive-murre-die-leaves-prince-william-sound-beaches-lined-seabird-bodies/2016/01/06
- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonwells/thousands-of-dead-seabirds-found-in-alaska-in-unprecedented
- https://www.kbbi.org/post/common-murres-show-small-signs-comeback-gulf-alaska-bering-sea
- https://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/03/17/seabird-die-off-takes-twist-with-carcasses-in-alaska-lake
- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/why-are-birds-and-seals-starving-in-a-bering-sea-full-of-fish
- https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/mass-die-offs-of-puffins-in-alaska-may-be-linked-to-climate-change
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology
Alaska's coastal and offshore waters provide foraging habitat for an estimated 100 million birds comprising more than 90 different species; from loons and seaducks that nest inland, to petrels and puffins that breed on islands off shore. All these birds depend on the sea to provide a wide variety of food types— from clams, crabs and urchins nearshore— to krill, forage fish, and squid offshore. The...Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins in Alaska Seabirds
Elevated ocean temperatures are linked to the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Toxins from these blooms may pose health threats to marine organisms, including seabirds. Since 2015, the USGS has worked with a variety of stakeholders to develop testing methods and research projects to better understand the geographic extent, timing and impacts of algal toxins in Alaska marine ecosystems...Algal Toxins and Wildlife Health
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have the potential to harm fish and wildlife, domestic animals, livestock, and humans through toxin production or ecological disturbances such as oxygen depletion and blockage of sunlight.Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
A massive die-off of Common Murres was documented in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) during the fall and winter of 2015-2016 in association with a record-breaking marine heat wave in the GOA.Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Forage fish are small pelagic schooling fish that play a key role in transferring energy between plankton and top marine predators. Many seabirds, marine mammals, and commercial fish species depend on forage fish to grow and survive. - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Data from Common Murre Die-off Surveys and Necropsies Following the North Pacific Marine Heatwave, 2015-2016
These data are in two tables relating to a die-off of Common Murres in the north Pacific, 2015-2016. The tables provide: 1) beach survey locations, date, time, distance surveyed (kilometers), and number of Common Murre carcasses observed during surveys conducted along the coastline of Alaska to document the 2015-2016 die-off of Common Murres coincident with the North Pacific marine heatwave, and 2 - Multimedia
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 15Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality. Three-quarters of murres were found in the Gulf of AlAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Julia K. Parrish, Heather M. Renner, Sarah K. Schoen, Timothy Jones, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Kathy J. Kuletz, Barbara Bodenstein, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, Rebecca Duerr, Robin Corcoran, Robb S.A. Kaler, Gerard J. McChesney, Richard T. Golightly, Heather A. Coletti, Robert M. Suryan, Hillary K. Burgess, Jackie Lindsey, Kirsten Lindquist, Peter Warzybok, Jaime Jahncke, Jan Roletto, William J. SydemanAlgal toxins in Alaskan seabirds: Evaluating the role of saxitoxin and domoic acid in a large-scale die-off of Common Murres
Elevated seawater temperatures are linked to the development of harmful algal blooms (HABs), which pose a growing threat to marine birds and other wildlife. During late 2015 and early 2016, a massive die-off of Common Murres (Uria algae; hereafter, murres) was observed in the Gulf of Alaska coincident with a strong marine heat wave. Previous studies have documented illness and death among seabirdsAuthorsCaroline R. Van Hemert, Sarah K. Schoen, R. Wayne Litaker, Matthew M. Smith, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, William C. Holland, Ransom Hardison, John M. PearceEffects of ocean climate on the length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska
Climatic drivers of the size and body condition of forage fish in the North Pacific are poorly known. We hypothesized that length and condition of forage fish in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA) should vary in relation to ocean temperature on multiple scales. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed morphometric data for capelin (Mallotus catervarius) and Pacific sand lance (PSL; Ammodytes personatus) samAuthorsSarah Ann Thompson, Marisol Garcia-Reyes, William Sydeman, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Scott Hatch, John F. PiattMortality of Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) and other alcids during an unusual mortality event in the eastern Bering Sea
Mass mortality events are increasing in frequency and magnitude, potentially linked with ongoing climate change. In October 2016 through January 2017, St. Paul Island situated at the shelf-edge of the Bering Sea, Alaska, experienced a mortality event of alcids (family: Alcidae), with over 350 carcasses recovered. Almost three-quarters of the carcasses were unscavenged, a rate much higher than in bAuthorsTimothy Jones, Laura M. Divine, Heather Renner, Susan Knowles, Kathi A. Lefebvre, Hillary K. Burgess, Charlie Wright, Julia K. ParrishExtreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Pacific sand lance Ammodytes personatus are a key forage fish in the North Pacific for many species of salmon, groundfish, seabirds, and marine mammals and have historically been important to predators in relatively warm years. However, extreme declines in the nutritional value of sand lance in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, during 2012-2016 indicate that energy transfer from lower trophic levAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, Brielle Heflin, Sarah K. Schoen, Jannelle Trowbridge, Chelsea ClawsonUnusual foraging observations associated with seabird die-offs in Alaska
We report the first documentation of off-water foraging by the Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma furcata and Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris, a behavior not previously documented in any member of the families Hydrobatidae or Procellariidae. Over a two-week period in September 2016, we regularly observed individuals of these species over land on an extensive intertidal zone on the BAuthorsBryce Robinson, Lucas H. DeCicco, James A. Johnson, Daniel R. RuthrauffInvestigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015
From August through December 2015, beachcast bird survey programs reported increased deposition of common murres (Uria aalge) on central and northern California beaches, but not on southern California beaches. Coastal wildlife rehabilitation centers received more than 1,000 live, stranded, and debilitated murres from Sonoma County to San Luis Obispo County during August–October. Approximately two-AuthorsCorinne Gibble, Rebecca Duerr, Barbara Bodenstein, Kirsten Lindquist, Jackie Lindsey, Jessie Beck, Laird A. Henkel, Jan Roletto, Jim Harvey, Raphael KudelaAvian cholera causes marine bird mortality in the Bering Sea of Alaska
The first known avian cholera outbreak among wild birds in Alaska occurred during November 2013. Liver, intestinal, and splenic necrosis consistent with avian cholera was noted, and Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 was isolated from liver and lung or spleen in Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella), Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia), Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glAuthorsBarbara L. Bodenstein, Kimberlee B. Beckmen, Gay Sheffield, Kathy Kuletz, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Brenda M. Berlowski-Zier, Valerie I. Shearn-BochslerFatal paralytic shellfish poisoning in Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nestlings, Alaska, USA
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) is an acute toxic illness in humans resulting from ingestion of shellfish contaminated with a suite of neurotoxins (saxitoxins) produced by marine dinoflagellates, most commonly in the genus Alexandrium. Poisoning also has been sporadically suspected and, less often, documented in marine wildlife, often in association with an outbreak in humans. Kittlitz's MurreAuthorsValerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Ellen W. Lance, Robin Corcoran, John F. Piatt, Barbara Bodenstein, Elizabeth Frame, James LawonnBiological effects of the 1997/98 ENSO in Cook Inlet, Alaska
We have been conducting detailed studies of the biology of seabirds in relation to oceanography and forage fish ecology in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, since 1995. This fortuitously allowed us to document biological effects of the 1997/98 ENSO in this region. Anomalously warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were observed in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) beginning in June of 1997, but not in Cook Inlet untAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Gary S. Drew, Thomas I. van Pelt, Alisa A. Abookire, April Nielsen, Michael T. Shultz, Alexander S. KitayskyMass-mortality of guillemots (Uria aalge) in the Gulf of Alaska in 1993
During the first six months of 1993, about 3500 dead and moribund guillemots (Uria aalge) were observed throughout the northern Gulf of Alaska coast (ca 1800 km range). Mortality peaked during March. Highest numbers were observed in western Prince William Sound and along the south coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Large flocks of live guillemots gathered in nearshore waters, in contrast to most winterAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Thomas I. van PeltResponse of common murres to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and long-term changes in the Gulf of Alaska marine ecosystem
Short-term effects of the 1989 TV Exxon Valdez oil spill on seabirds were dramatic and well documented. Seabird populations at sea in the spill zone were immediately depressed, and more than 30,000 dead, oiled seabirds were recovered from beaches within months of the spill. It is estimated that 250,000 seabirds were killed by oil, of which 74% were murres. Based on comparisons of prespill (1970s)AuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Paul Anderson - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Partners
Below are the partners associated with this project.