Gulf of Alaska | Seabirds
Distribution and foraging behavior of common murres and black-legged kittiwakes in lower Cook Inlet
Presenter: Sam Stark , sstark@usgs.gov, US Geological Survey Sarah Schoen , sschoen@usgs.gov, US Geological Survey Maymui Arimitsu , marimitsu@usgs.gov, USGS Alaska Science Center John Piatt , jpiatt@usgs.gov, US Geological Survey Alaska Science Center Caitlin Marsteller , cmarsteller@usgs.gov, US Geological Survey
Future energy development (oil, gas, tidal, and wind) in Cook Inlet requires a thorough understanding of the distribution of marine resources in this dynamic environment. Seabirds provide an excellent focal species for understanding uneven distribution of marine resources due to their large foraging ranges, overlapping diet with other important marine predators (i.e., marine mammals and commercially important fish), and their concentration at breeding colonies during summer. To identify at-sea distributions and foraging behavior, we deployed GPS loggers outfitted with diving sensors on Common Murres ( Uria aalge ) and Black-legged Kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) at two colonies in lower Cook Inlet during the summer of 2022. We use this information to identify foraging hotspots and to quantify important metrics to describe seabird energy expenditure, including foraging trip duration, maximum distance from colony, dive depth, size of foraging area, and time spent on colony. We then compare foraging distribution and areas of high energy expenditure to the areas with potential for development of oil and natural gas. Foraging area size and time spent within potential development areas varied between colonies and species. These results are important for improving our understanding of seabird spatial use, the distribution of their prey, and has implications for managing marine resources in lower Cook Inlet.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 234
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