Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Seabirds and Forage Fish Ecology Active
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 availability of nesting habitat and suitable prey are important natural factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of marine birds. But seabird populations are also affected by human activities that have direct impacts (pollution, bycatch in fishing gear) and indirect effects (global warming alters food availability) on birds.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems
Roles and responsibilities of USGS and DOI in conservation of marine birds and mammals
The Department of Interior (DOI) is mandated by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act to conserve and protect all seabirds in U.S. waters up to 200 miles offshore. Additionally, the DOI is mandated to manage subsistence resources, including birds, under the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The DOI, through the NPS, has shared responsibility for Humpback Whales and other marine mammals mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), and specific regulatory and conservation authority within Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Monument, one of a few marine sanctuaries managed by DOI. Within DOI, the USGS has a responsibility to assist those DOI agencies with marine jurisdictions (NPS, USFWS, BOEM) by gathering and interpreting data on seabirds and other marine waterfowl, humpback whales and other marine mammals, and relevant components of their marine environments (such as forage fish, zooplankton, oceanography, toxins, etc.) that influence the status and trends of these protected marine animals.
Seabirds also serve as practical indicators of change in the marine environment— natural or human induced— because they can be readily monitored at colonies and at sea. For all these reasons, marine bird research is a vital part of the DOI mission in Alaska and the North Pacific. We study population biology and feeding ecology of a variety of seabird species, including threatened and endangered species. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates study of marine habitats and food webs so that we can better understand why seabird populations fluctuate over time. This website highlights some of the research conducted by the Seabird, Forage Fish and Marine Ecology Project at the Alaska Science Center.
Projects
- Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
- Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
- Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill)
- Harmful algal bloom toxins in Alaska seabirds
- North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
- Pacific Marine Heatwave
- Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
- USGS Research Vessel Alaskan Gyre
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators
Forecasting community reassembly using climate-linked spatio-temporal ecosystem models
Seabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems
Can oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird?
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
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
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Biogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
Tracing biogeochemical subsidies from glacier runoff into Alaska's coastal marine food webs
Best practices for assessing forage fish fisheries-seabird resource competition
Below are news items associated with this research.
- Overview
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 availability of nesting habitat and suitable prey are important natural factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of marine birds. But seabird populations are also affected by human activities that have direct impacts (pollution, bycatch in fishing gear) and indirect effects (global warming alters food availability) on birds.
Return to Ecosystems >> Marine Ecosystems
Roles and responsibilities of USGS and DOI in conservation of marine birds and mammals
The Department of Interior (DOI) is mandated by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act to conserve and protect all seabirds in U.S. waters up to 200 miles offshore. Additionally, the DOI is mandated to manage subsistence resources, including birds, under the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The DOI, through the NPS, has shared responsibility for Humpback Whales and other marine mammals mandated by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), and specific regulatory and conservation authority within Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and Monument, one of a few marine sanctuaries managed by DOI. Within DOI, the USGS has a responsibility to assist those DOI agencies with marine jurisdictions (NPS, USFWS, BOEM) by gathering and interpreting data on seabirds and other marine waterfowl, humpback whales and other marine mammals, and relevant components of their marine environments (such as forage fish, zooplankton, oceanography, toxins, etc.) that influence the status and trends of these protected marine animals.
Seabirds also serve as practical indicators of change in the marine environment— natural or human induced— because they can be readily monitored at colonies and at sea. For all these reasons, marine bird research is a vital part of the DOI mission in Alaska and the North Pacific. We study population biology and feeding ecology of a variety of seabird species, including threatened and endangered species. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates study of marine habitats and food webs so that we can better understand why seabird populations fluctuate over time. This website highlights some of the research conducted by the Seabird, Forage Fish and Marine Ecology Project at the Alaska Science Center.
Projects
- Tidewater Glacier Influence on Marine Ecosystems
- Cook Inlet Seabird and Forage Fish Study
- Detecting Long-term Changes in Forage Fish Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Exxon Valdez Oil Spill)
- Harmful algal bloom toxins in Alaska seabirds
- North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database
- Pacific Marine Heatwave
- Seabird Die-offs in Alaska
- USGS Research Vessel Alaskan Gyre
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 118Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, AlaskaCommon Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, AlaskaCommon Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murre next to egg at breeding colony on Gull Island, in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on eggClose up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull IslandClose up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull IslandClose up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Close up of Common Murre sitting on egg at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. There are two other murres in the back ground.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protrudingSkinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre flying with keel protrudingSkinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged KittiwakeA Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged KittiwakeA Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
A Peregrine Falcon flies off with a Black-legged Kittiwake from its colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protrudingSkinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protrudingSkinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre (in foreground) with keel protruding in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left)Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left)Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Skinny Common Murre with keel protruding (second from the left) contrasted by normal murres. Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic Common MurreA Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic Common MurreA Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
A Black-legged Kittiwake harasses a melanistic (all black) Common Murre, forcing it off its breeding site in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-22
Glaucous-winged Gulls grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common MurresGlaucous-winged Gulls grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common MurresGlaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
Glaucous-winged Gulls capitalize upon a disturbance at the Gull Island colony in 2018 to grab eggs abandoned by breeding Common Murres. One lone Common Murre continues incubation despite the rest of the colony flushing.
Melanistic Common Murre flies near its colonyA melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
A melanistic (all dark) Common Murre flies above its colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, 2018. See related paper published in the Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation at: http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/50_2/50_2_225-227.pdf.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, AlaskaCommon Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Common Murre flying in lower Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with Black-legged Kittiwake chickJuvenile Bald Eagle flies away with Black-legged Kittiwake chickA juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
A juvenile Bald Eagle flies away with a young Black-legged Kittiwake chick taken from its nest at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald EagleBlack-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald EagleBlack-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres flush from a Bald Eagle at their breeding colony at Gull Island, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keelsCommon Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres with visibly protruding keels flush from Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska.
Common Murres at breeding colony - one murre looking at cameraCommon Murres at breeding colony - one murre looking at cameraCommon Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One murre looking at camera.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, AlaskaBlack-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, AlaskaBlack-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Black-legged Kittiwakes in a colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska. One bird on a nest.
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, AlaskaCommon Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, AlaskaCommon Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres in their colony in Cook Inlet, Alaska
Common Murres at breeding colony - four murres have bills openCommon Murres at breeding colony - four murres have bills openCommon Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Common Murres at their breeding colony on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Four murres have bills open. One sitting on egg.
Four Common Murres at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, AlaskaFour Common Murres at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, AlaskaFour Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
Four Common Murres sitting on rocks at breeding colony on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. One is sitting on an egg.
A Tufted Puffin in the sea in Lower Cook Inlet, AlaskaA Tufted Puffin in the sea in Lower Cook Inlet, AlaskaA Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
A Tufted Puffin swimming in the sea near Gull Island in Lower Cook Inlet , Alaska
- Publications
Below are the publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 52Heatwave-induced synchrony within forage fish portfolio disrupts energy flow to top pelagic predators
During the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016, abundance and quality of several key forage fish species in the Gulf of Alaska were simultaneously reduced throughout the system. Capelin (Mallotus catervarius), sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), and herring (Clupea pallasii) populations were at historically low levels, and within this community abrupt declines in portfolio effects identify trophicAuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, Scott Hatch, Robert M. Suryan, Sonia Batten, Mary Anne Bishop, Rob W. Campbell, Heather Coletti, Dan Cushing, Kristen Gorman, Russell R. Hopcroft, Kathy J. Kuletz, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, Caitlin McKinstry, David McGowan, John Moran, W. Scott Pegau, Anne Schaefer, Sarah K. Schoen, Jan Straley, Vanessa R. von BielaForecasting community reassembly using climate-linked spatio-temporal ecosystem models
Ecosystems are increasingly impacted by human activities, altering linkages among physical and biological components. Spatial community reassembly occurs when these human impacts modify the spatial overlap between system components, and there is need for practical tools to forecast spatial community reassembly at landscape scales using monitoring data. To illustrate a new approach, we extend a genAuthorsJames Thorson, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Lewis Barnett, Wei Cheng, Lisa Eisner, Alan Haynie, Albert Hermann, Kirsten Holsman, David Kimmel, Michael Lomas, Jon Richar, Elizabeth SiddonSeabird‐induced natural mortality of forage fish varies with fish abundance: Evidence from five ecosystems
Forage fish populations often undergo large and rapid fluctuations in abundance. However, most of their predators are buffered against such fluctuations owing to their slower pace of life, which allows them to maintain more stable populations, at least during short periods of food scarcity. In this study, we investigated top‐down processes exerted by seabirds on forage fish stocks in five contrastAuthorsClaire Saraux, William J. Sydeman, John F. Piatt, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Sophie Bertrand, Philippe M. Cury, Robert W. Furness, James A. Miller, Henrik Österblom, Giannina Passuni, Jean-Paul Roux, Lynne Shannon, Robert J.M. CrawfordCan oceanic prey effects on growth and time to fledging mediate terrestrial predator limitation of an at‐risk seabird?
Most seabird species nest colonially on cliffs or islands with limited terrestrial predation, so that oceanic effects on the quality or quantity of prey fed to chicks more often determine nest success. However, when predator access increases, impacts can be dramatic, especially when exposure to predators is extended due to slow growth from inadequate food. Kittlitz’s Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirAuthorsTimothy Knudson, James R. Lovvorn, M. James Lawonn, Robin Corcoran, Dan Roby, John F. Piatt, William PyleExtreme 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. SydemanSpatial and temporal dynamics of Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius in the Gulf of Alaska: Implications for ecosystem-based fisheries management
Pacific capelin Mallotus catervarius are planktivorous, small pelagic fish that serve an intermediate trophic role in marine food webs. Due to the lack of a directed fishery or monitoring of capelin in the Northeast Pacific, there is limited information on their distribution and abundance, and how spatio-temporal fluctuations in capelin density affects their availability as prey. To provide informAuthorsDavid W. McGowan, Esther Goldstein, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Alison Dreary, Olav Ormseth, Alex DeRobertis, John Horne, Lauren Rogers, Matt Wilson, Kenneth Coyle, Kris Holderied, John F. Piatt, W.T. Stockhausen, Stephani ZadorAlgal 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. PiattExtreme 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 ClawsonBiogeography of pelagic food webs in the North Pacific
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) is a generalist seabird that breeds throughout the North Pacific and eats more than 75 different prey species. Using puffins as samplers, we characterized the geographic variability in pelagic food webs across the subarctic North Pacific from the composition of ~10,000 tufted puffin meals (~56,000 prey items) collected at 35 colonies in the Gulf of Alaska (GAuthorsJohn F. Piatt, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, William J. Sydeman, Sarah Ann Thompson, Heather Renner, Stephani Zador, David C. Douglas, Scott A. Hatch, Arthur B. Kettle, Jeffrey C. WilliamsTracing biogeochemical subsidies from glacier runoff into Alaska's coastal marine food webs
Nearly half of the freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska originates from landscapes draining glacier runoff, but the influence of the influx of riverine organic matter on the trophodynamics of coastal marine food webs is not well understood. We quantified the ecological impact of riverine organic matter subsidies to glacier-marine habitats by developing a multi-trophic level Bayesian three-AuthorsMayumi L. Arimitsu, Keith A. Hobson, D'Arcy N. Webber, John F. Piatt, Eran W. Hood, Jason B. FellmanBest practices for assessing forage fish fisheries-seabird resource competition
Worldwide, in recent years capture fisheries targeting lower-trophic level forage fish and euphausiid crustaceans have been substantial (∼20 million metric tons [MT] annually). Landings of forage species are projected to increase in the future, and this harvest may affect marine ecosystems and predator-prey interactions by removal or redistribution of biomass central to pelagic food webs. In partiAuthorsWilliam J. Sydeman, Sarah Ann Thompson, Tycho Anker-Nilssen, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Ashley Bennison, Sophie Bertrand, Philipp Boersch-Supan, Charlotte Boyd, Nicole C. Bransome, Robert J.M. Crawford, Francis Daunt, Robert W. Furness, Dimas Gianuca, Amanda Gladics, Laura Koehn, Jennifer W. Lang, Elizabeth Loggerwell, Taryn L. Morris, Elizabeth M. Phillips, Jennifer Provencher, André E.. Punt, Claire Saraux, Lynne Shannon, Richard B. Sherley, Alejandro Simeone, Ross M. Wanless, Sarah Wanless, Stephani Zador - Web Tools
- News
Below are news items associated with this research.