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David Hyrenbach, Mike Henry, Chris Rintoul, Ken Morgan William Sydeman khyrenba@u.washington

Monitoring marine bird distributions across the sub-arctic North Pacific using platform of opportunity vessels (2002-2005): Seasonal and Interannual Variability. David Hyrenbach, Mike Henry, Chris Rintoul, Ken Morgan William Sydeman

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David Hyrenbach, Mike Henry, Chris Rintoul, Ken Morgan William Sydeman khyrenba@u.washington

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  1. Monitoring marine bird distributions across the sub-arctic North Pacific using platform of opportunity vessels (2002-2005): Seasonal and Interannual Variability David Hyrenbach, Mike Henry, Chris Rintoul, Ken Morgan William Sydeman khyrenba@u.washington.edu

  2. Motivation: Ecosystem Understanding

  3. Approach: CPR-MBM Surveys June 2002 Oct. 2002 • Surveys started in June 2002 • Three seasonal cruises (April, June, October) each year • East - West track: 7500 km, British Columbia to Hokkaido June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 June 2002 October 2002 June 2002 (97%) of all birds (94%) of all birds (97%) of all birds (94%) of all birds (97%) of all birds (97%) of all birds (94%) of all birds

  4. Methods: Seabird Surveys • Survey platform: Skaubryn Height: 10 / 28 m • Speed: 4.0 - 14.0 knots • Pilot surveys: June / October 2002 • Standardized strip surveys: • 400m transect, one-side of track Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas)

  5. Results: Community Structure • Phyto / Zoo plankton and seabird community structure in summer (June 2002) (15 – 25 km) BC shelf / slope Eastern GoA Central GoA Western GoA E. Aleutian shelf W. Aleutian shelf Aleutian Basin SW. Bering Sea W. Open Pacific Coastal N. Japan (18.5 km) (Batten et al., In Press) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  6. Results: Meso Marine Ecosystems EAS BCSS WGA CGA EGA CNJapan WOP WBS AB WAS (Batten et al., In Press) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  7. Applications: Three Case Studies Eastern Aleutian Shelf Gulf of Alaska British Columbia Shelf /Slope • 11 Cruises, Effort: 846 + 98 km • Spring (2003, 2004, 2005) • Summer (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) • Fall (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  8. Example 1: Identify “Hotspots” Photo: Mike Britain With 2 - 4 birds m -2, this flock contained 4 - 9 million shearwaters ~ 13 – 30 % of the world population

  9. Trans-Pacific ShearwaterDistributions June 2002 – April 2004 • Seasonal migration • Interannual variability: High in fall 2002; Low in fall 2003 • Spatial aggregation

  10. Replicate Summer Surveys (2002-2005) 2002 2003 2004 2005 200 km Unimak Pass, shelf waters (depth < 200m)

  11. Is Unimak Pass a Shearwater Hotspot? Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  12. Example 2: Community Structure Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) • Breed off Chile • Dispersal from colonies in March - May • Range into North Pacific from April - October (Harrison, 1984) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  13. Seasonal and Interannual Patterns (p < 0.001) (p < 0.001) • Northward range extension in summer (June) and fall (Oct.) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  14. Changing Community Structure 128.5 124.5 50.5 47.5 Vancouver Island 2000m 1000m 200m • Restricted to the shelf and shelf-break (depth < 1000 m) • Incursions of subtropical and sub-Arctic species Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  15. Example 3: Range Shifts Murphy’s Petrel (Pterodroma ultima) • Breed in French Polynesia • Off California as early as April (Harrison, 1984) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) • Survey Design: Three seasonal cruises (spring: April, summer: June, fall: Oct.) each year; 7,500 km track from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using bulk-cargo carrier Skaubryn as survey platform. • Observer height above sea surface: • flying bridge (28 m), foc’sle deck (10 m) • Cruising speed: • 4.0 - 14.0 knots (7.4 - 25.9 km hr-1) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  16. Gulf of Alaska Surveys April: 3 cruises, 4 birds June: 4 cruises, 27 birds October: 4 cruises, 7 birds Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  17. Seasonal and Interannual Patterns (p < 0.001) (p < 0.001) • Present in the Gulf of Alaska in April, June and October Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  18. Changing Community Structure • Year-to-year changes in summer seabird abundance and species composition Cluster Tree Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  19. Regional Implications • Consumption of marine resources, transfer of energy (Hunt et al. 1990, PICES Sci. Rept. 14) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  20. Basin-Wide Implications • Quantify large-scale distribution and abundance • Interpret seasonal and interannual changes Sooty Shearwater (Hyrenbach & Veit, 2003) (Adams et al., unpublished)

  21. Oceanographic Conditions (2002-2005) • After Spring 2006: 12 cruises, 3 seasons • Funding for 1 more year Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  22. Shifting into a Cold Phase SOI: Sea Level Pressure (TAHITI – DARWIN) PDO: Water Temperature (North of 20 o N)

  23. Conclusions • Marine birds are numerous and conspicuous predators: • “Hotspots” • “Community Structure” • “Range Shifts” • Concurrent lower-trophic and upper-trophic surveys provide integrated perspective of ecosystem structure and change

  24. Acknowledgements

  25. Streaked Shearwater Short-tailed Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas)

  26. Comparing Different Climate Indices • NOI (1951-1999) indicative of La Niña / El Niño events • NOI suggestive of regime shifts: • predominantly positive prior to 1977 • variable between 1977 and 1991 • negative from 1992 to 1998 • positive from 1999 to 2001 • Decoupling between tropics and extra-tropics Schwing et al. (2002) Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris) Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus)

  27. Monitoring marine bird distributions across the sub-arctic North Pacific using platform of opportunity vessels (2002-2005):Seasonal and Interannual Variability David Hyrenbach 1, 3, Mike Henry 2, Chris Rintoul 3, Ken Morgan 4, William Sydeman 3 1 Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC, USA; khyrenba@duke.edu 2 Dept. Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada 3 PRBO Conservation Science, Marine Ecology Division, Stinson Beach, CA, USA 4 Environment Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, B.C., Canada In 2002, we initiated a multi-year monitoring program to survey marine bird and mammal communities from British Columbia (Canada) to Hokkaido (Japan), using the bulk-cargo carrier ‘Skaubryn’ as a platform of opportunity. This project seeks to document spatial gradients in upper-trophic predator assemblages, as well as temporal fluctuations in community structure across the sub-arctic North Pacific Ocean and the southern Bering Sea. We first developed standardized survey techniques using pilot data collected during the summer and fall of 2002. Using these standardized protocols, we have completed nine more surveys since the summer of 2002. Herein, we summarize the seasonal (spring, summer, fall) and interannual (2002 – 2005) distribution patterns of the numerically dominant marine bird and mammal species along a standardized 7,500 km transect. Our replicate surveys have documented clear spatial gradients in faunal distributions, with a particularly striking east to west segregation of three shearwater species: Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) dominate off BC and in the Gulf of Alaska, Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) are numerically dominant in the Southern Bering Sea, and Streaked Shearwaters (Calonectris leucomelas) are most numerous in the Kuroshio – Oyashio current. We have also documented seasonal changes associated with latitudinal shifts of sub-tropical and sub-arctic species, and east-west migration of sub-arctic species (Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis, Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, Least Auklets Aethia pusilla) from Alaskan breeding colonies to distant wintering grounds. This novel synoptic perspective of seabird distributions across the North Pacific underscores the value of cargo vessels as platforms of opportunity. In particular, standardized regional comparisons are required to characterize the response of far-ranging upper-trophic predators and North Pacific marine ecosystems to environmental variability over basin-wide scales.

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