Greater Shearwaters in the Gulf of Maine

Original provider:
USFWS, Linda Welch

Dataset credits:
Data provider
Greater Shearwaters in the Gulf of Maine
Originating data center
<a href='http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/' target='_blank'>Satellite Tracking and Analysis Tool (STAT)</a>

Abstract:
The Gulf of Maine supports a tremendous diversity of pelagic seabirds, which depend on our highly productive waters to raise their young and complete their annual lifecycle. For species such as Atlantic puffin and razorbills, the Gulf of Maine represents the southern limit of their breeding distribution in the United States. As with any species at the fringe of their distribution, these birds are likely to be highly sensitive to changes in habitat and prey availability resulting from global climate change. Greater shearwaters breed in the southern hemisphere and migrate to the Gulf of Maine during the summer months to forage on the abundant supply of prey species. Managers are concerned that increasing sea surface temperatures, changes in commercial harvest rates of key forage species, and potential offshore energy development could now threaten the ability of this region to support pelagic seabirds.<br>Maine’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy identifies greater shearwater as a priority species for research, and specifically notes the need to conduct shearwater surveys and identify foraging habitat. We believe this research will promote the conservation of this priority species during offshore energy development and increase our understanding of the potential implications of climate change on pelagic seabirds. <br><br>Objectives: <br>1) Determine foraging “hotspots” where pelagic seabirds aggregate in the Gulf of Maine<br>2) Determine migration pathways, habitat use, and residency times for greater shearwaters in the Gulf of Maine<br>3) Document characteristics of marine habitat occupied by pelagic seabirds, and predict how environmental change (i.e. climate change or offshore development) may influence the availability of these habitats <br>4) Contribute to ongoing research monitoring the migration of greater shearwaters throughout the Atlantic Ocean, and their return to their breeding grounds in the southern hemisphere. <br><br>This study will combine direct observations of pelagic seabirds and associated ocean parameters (i.e. sea surface temperatures, depth, and primary productivity) with data generated by the satellite transmitters. This will allow us to determine which habitat characteristics pelagic seabirds are selecting, and the satellite data will provide landscape level use of the Gulf of Maine by pelagic seabirds. <br><br>This information will play a critical role in the evaluation of offshore energy development for both conservation agencies and potential developers. While the conservation community is clearly supportive of green energy, we believe it is imperative that wildlife conservation must be considered during the planning and development of these projects. This research will help us guide the energy development into regions of the coast that are less likely to support large concentrations of pelagic seabirds. <br><br>The shearwaters in this study were named for islands protected by Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge. For more information please contact: [e-mail]<br>

原始提供方：美国鱼类和野生动物管理局（USFWS）、琳达·韦尔奇（Linda Welch）

数据集致谢：
数据提供方：缅因湾大鹱（Greater Shearwaters）
原始数据中心：<a href="http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/" target="_blank">卫星追踪与分析工具（STAT）</a>

摘要：
缅因湾栖息着种类繁多的远洋海鸟（pelagic seabirds），它们依赖这片高生产力海域抚育幼鸟并完成年度生命周期。对于大西洋海鹦（Atlantic puffin）、刀嘴海雀（razorbills）等物种而言，缅因湾是其在美国境内繁殖分布的南界。如同任何分布边缘的物种，这些海鸟极有可能对全球气候变化引发的栖息地与猎物可获得性变化高度敏感。大鹱在南半球繁殖，夏季迁徙至缅因湾觅食大量猎物。管理人员担忧，不断升高的海表温度、关键饵料物种的商业捕捞率变化，以及潜在的近海能源开发，正威胁该海域维持远洋海鸟种群的能力。

缅因州《综合野生动物保护战略》将大鹱列为优先研究物种，并明确指出需要开展鹱类调查并确定其觅食栖息地。我们认为，此项研究将有助于在近海能源开发期间保护该优先物种，并加深我们对气候变化对远洋海鸟潜在影响的认知。

研究目标：
1) 确定缅因湾内远洋海鸟聚集的觅食“热点区域”
2) 明确缅因湾内大鹱的迁徙路径、栖息地利用情况及停留时长
3) 记录远洋海鸟所占据的海洋栖息地特征，并预测环境变化（即气候变化或近海开发）可能如何影响这些栖息地的可获得性
4) 助力持续开展的相关研究，监测大西洋全域大鹱的迁徙活动及其返回南半球繁殖地的过程。

本研究将远洋海鸟的直接观测结果与相关海洋参数（如海表温度、水深及初级生产力），结合卫星发射器生成的数据进行整合。借此可明确远洋海鸟所选择的栖息地特征，而卫星数据则能呈现远洋海鸟在缅因湾的景观尺度栖息地利用情况。

该信息将对保护机构与潜在开发商开展近海能源开发评估发挥关键作用。尽管保护界明确支持绿色能源，但我们认为，在这类项目的规划与开发阶段必须纳入野生动物保护考量。本研究将帮助我们引导能源开发活动避开远洋海鸟大规模聚集的沿海区域。

本研究中的大鹱以缅因沿海岛屿国家野生动物保护区保护的岛屿命名。如需更多信息，请联系：[e-mail]