At Sea with the Marine Birds of the Raincoast

By Caroline Fox

An illustrated narrative that interweaves the shifting seasons of the Northwest Coast with the experiences of a conservation biologist surveying thousands of kilometres of open ocean in order to uncover the complex relationships between humans, marine birds and the realities of contemporary biodiversity.

At Sea with the Marine Birds of the Raincoast combines the natural and human histories of Pacific Northwest marine birds with Caroline Fox’s personal story of her life as a conservation scientist. Accompanied by vivid images, drawings and both archival and modern photography, the narrative follows the author as she sails the coast, documenting marine bird diversity and seasonal shifts in community assemblages.

This unique story captures the natural splendour and rich variety of marine birds feeding, breeding and undertaking spectacular, often trans-equatorial migrations along the Northwest Coast. Introducing some of the most fascinating yet poorly understood species, including albatrosses, puffins and cranes, this compelling read calls attention to the urgent conservation challenges faced by marine birds and their ecosystems, as well as their historically complex relationship with human society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RMB Rocky Mountain Books
• Release date: Jun 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781771601573

Book preview

AT SEA WITH THE

MARINE BIRDS

— of the —

RAINCOAST

Caroline H. Fox

Foreword by Paul C. Paquet

Copyright © 2016 by Caroline H. Fox and Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Foreword copyright © 2016 by Paul C. Paquet

All other text and photograph copyrights are held by the contributors or as otherwise noted.

First Edition

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Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada

ISBN 978-1-77160-162-7 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-77160-157-3 (electronic)

Cover photo: Wild North Photography

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and of the province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

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Contents

Foreword by Paul C. Paquet

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1Marine Birds of Canada’s Pacific Coast

Chapter 2Spring: Flyways and Herring Milt

Chapter 3Summer: A Fish Net Nest

Chapter 4Fall: Dog Salmon, Darkness and Storms

Chapter 5Back to the Coast

Endnotes

Bibliography

Index

A double-crested cormorant (left) and a pelagic cormorant (right) share a rock. IMAGE COURTESY OF JAMES R. PAGE.

Foreword

For millennia, humans have used marine birds for food, ritual, ornamentation (feathers), clothing, oil and guano. This close relationship between humans and seabirds has engendered numerous cultural myths and legends. Although some marine birds – particularly the albatrosses and gulls – are part of our contemporary awareness, the often-pelagic lifestyle and isolation of breeding colonies means that many are little studied and poorly known. Now, this informative new compendium shines a welcome spotlight on those common but mostly unfamiliar bird species grouped under the heading of marine birds, which includes seabirds, shorebirds, raptors and waterfowl. Drawing on her scholarly research and broad field experience in marine ecology, marine bird authority Caroline Fox reveals the life and times of coastal British Columbia’s avifauna in the context of their environment and aspects of life at sea. Well-written and sometimes provocative, the book is packed with nuggets of information for bird lovers, pelagic enthusiasts, conservationists and those interested in our natural world.

Although classifications of marine birds vary, most include species that live in saltwater or are closely associated with the marine environment. Varying greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, marine birds are uniquely adapted to life within their ocean world. They are found across the globe, from the poles to the tropics, thriving at the boundaries of air, land and sea (or ice). Many, and particularly seabirds, travel the world’s oceans foraging for food over their long lifetimes, and return to the same colonies to breed.

The Pacific Ocean is home to more seabirds than any other area of the world. For many of these birds, the highly productive waters and shores of British Columbia’s coast are both their birthplace and haven. Unique, diverse and often incredibly dense communities of marine birds inhabit these coastal waters, with vast numbers using the region for breeding, foraging, wintering and migration. Canada’s west coast is also a major migratory corridor for millions of birds traveling to and from breeding grounds that lie along the Pacific Flyway between Tierra del Fuego and the high Arctic. Long-distance mi­grants that may breed elsewhere in the world, such as albatrosses and shearwaters, are found offshore in noteworthy numbers.

Marine birds, particularly those that spend most of their lives at sea, are inherently tied to the state of the ocean. Their constant struggle to survive depends on the availability of ocean-provided nutrients and the sanctuary of nesting grounds. Many species, however, are now threatened or endangered at global and continental scales, and face multiple biological and environmental threats.

In the progression of bird evolution, form and function have developed inseparably, each giving meaning to the other. Nothing illustrates this more beautifully than the strong and graceful flight of long-distance seabirds. Sensitive in their adjustments to continuously varying conditions, the wings of a seabird in flight are dynamic, altering shape in response to continually changing air pressure and wind, or to suit changes in course or speed. Yet some of the evolutionary and behavioral traits that make marine birds well-suited to their environment also make them vulnerable to extinction.

Many marine bird species do not begin breeding until they are at least several years old. Although most are long-lived, many produce only a single or a small number of eggs per year and do not necessarily breed annually. Accordingly, the deaths of breeding adults can have a substantial, detrimental influence on populations over time. In addition, many marine birds congregate in marine areas of high productivity, where there is a greater abundance of food. Unfortunately, commercial fisheries also concentrate their activities in high-productivity areas, competing for food fish, and often causing deaths through entanglement with fishing gear.

Birds have long been used as sentinels and harbingers of impending omens, and marine birds are the quintessential canaries in the coal mine when it comes to ocean health and environmental change. Despite their multitudes, many marine bird species on Canada’s west coast are of great conservation concern, with some populations known or suspected to be experiencing serious declines. In Canada, most regularly occurring marine birds, except for cormorants, pelicans and others, are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (MBCA). Global trends show seabird populations dropped 70 per cent since the 1950s, with a large number of species across an array of families in deep decline, an unambiguous indication that marine ecosystems are not doing well. Moreover, evidence points to considerable population declines of numerous marine bird species not yet formally considered to be at risk.

These declines are consequential because marine birds play an important role in coastal and marine ecosystems, and their loss causes a variety of disturbances in those environments. For example, they eat and are eaten by a diverse assortment of other marine species. They also transport nutrients in their waste back to the coastal ecosystems in which they breed, helping to fertilize entire food webs. Alarmingly, the present prognosis for survival of many marine bird species, whether migratory or year-round residents, is very poor. At the current rate of decline, many of the world’s marine birds – such as albatrosses, shearwaters, shorebirds and petrels – are quietly flying away to nowhere, harbingers of their own demise.

Ever-increasing human pressures are combining with climate dis­­­ruption to jeopardize marine birds and the environments that support them. Although changes are occurring faster than we can understand them, the dramatic decline over the past several decades is caused by overfishing that depletes the fish birds rely on for food, lethal entanglement of birds in fishing gear, birds being sickened and dying because of plastic pollution and oil spills, threats to breeding colonies from invasive predators such as raccoons and rats, and environmental and ecological variance caused by climate change. Moreover, some marine birds are likely responding to oceanic conditions that are thousands of miles from their breeding grounds.

Not surprisingly, people and their undertakings are the most uncontrolled and harmful influences in marine ecosystems. Accordingly, ever-increasing human pressure and destruction of marine habitats are now combining with climate disruption to jeopardize marine bird species and environments that support them. Seabirds that range the widest seem to be faring the worst. They are especially vulnerable because of their dependence of a wide swath of open water – travelling the world’s oceans to forage for food and returning to the same colonies to breed.

Prominent among the many human-related hazards is spilled and discarded oil, which in the marine environment is devastating to marine birds. Ever increasing, the global thirst for oil sends tankers and freighters traversing oceans and estuaries in an unremitting and precarious game of navigational roulette – resulting in hundreds of spills each year. The largest of these accidents have drawn worldwide attention to the effects of oil on ecosystems and birds. The 1989 Exxon Valdez spill killed at least 250,000 birds. Many of the affected populations have never recovered. As birds are among the most visible and plentiful members of marine communities, they are similarly among the most conspicuous and abundant victims of oil spills in the marine environment. In addition to short-term effects, which include mortalities, marine oil pollution may have persistent, longterm influences and continue to depress populations long after obvious signs of oil have left.

Climate change adds yet another layer of unpredictability in terms of the cumulative disturbances adversely affecting marine birds. The natural fluctuations of the ocean atmosphere, including the strength, productivity and timing of upwellings, already influence the timing of breeding, reproductive success, migration, distribution and, ultimately, the population sizes of marine birds. Overlay this already dynamic system with human-induced climate change, which includes warming oceans and the altered chemical composition and pH of seawater, and marine birds are undoubtedly going to be affected.

The need for an increased and effective marine bird conservation effort internationally is apparent. Encouragingly, we already know some of the solutions. Increasing our efforts to rid seabird colonies of invasive species, reducing fishery yields (leaving fish for species that depend on them), banning harmful chemicals, reducing the ensnaring of birds in fish nets, and setting up conservation areas that protect breeding sites and migratory routes, would help ensure that marine bird populations are preserved over the long term.

Despite the long list of threats and evidence of steep declines, many marine birds, particularly those that spend much of their lives at sea, are too often out of sight, out of mind, and ultimately left to suffer the indignity of our collective inaction. At Sea with the Marine Birds of the Raincoast allows us a glimpse of the secretive lives of marine birds that live along the Pacific coast of North America. Notably, it reiterates an imperative conservation message regarding the plight of marine birds and the urgent need for additional and concerted efforts to protect marine birds and their habitats.

—Paul C. Paquet

A black oystercatcher shows its neon bill. IMAGE COURTESY OF JAMES R. PAGE.

Acknowledgements

The research and conservation efforts of hundreds of biologists, naturalists and bird lovers along the Pacific coast of North America and beyond have given me a deeper understanding and appreciation of marine birds and coastal ecosystems; the efforts of these individuals provide a foundation for this book. I also am grateful for all the people who live on and near the sea, including lighthouse keepers, bush pilots, photographers, divers and fishermen, who took the time to share their knowledge of this coast with me.

Numerous individuals have also directly contributed to my growth as a conservation scientist and marine ecologist. In particular, Dr. Paul Paquet deserves recognition for his friendship, mentorship and unwavering advocacy on my behalf. Without him, this book would never have been written. I thank my parents, Jules and Liz Fox, and also Rob Davey. I also thank all Raincoasters, past and present, with whom I have often shared a common purpose to address the various challenges that beset this unique coast. In addition to many individuals, I acknowledge Megan Adams, Stephen Anstee, Ben Best, Heather Bryan, Nathalie Chambers, Chris Darimont, Ross Dixon, Marie Fournier, Tony Gaston, Chris Genovali, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Doug Jodrell, Daisuke Kawai, Heidi Krajewsky, Misty MacDuffee, Ken Morgan, Wayne Nelson, Mike Price, Heather Recker, Tom Reimchen, Andy and Adrianne Rosenberger, Barbara Souther, Steve Williamson, Lori Waters, Jody Weir, Rob Williams and Jane Woodland.

Although I have benefited from tremendous assistance in completing this book, any errors are solely mine. As a conservation biologist and marine ecologist, my focus tends not to solely be on marine birds but rather entire marine ecosystems and the threats they face. As such, this book takes a bird’s-eye view of Canada’s Pacific coast and the avian fauna that thrive there, and will almost certainly come up short with respect to in-depth information regarding individual marine bird species.

Without the assistance of the following organizations and in­di­viduals, Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s marine bird and mammal surveys would never have been completed. On behalf of Rain­ coast, I acknowledge the assistance of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Marisla Foundation, the McLean Foundation, the Bullitt Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Patagonia, the Conservation Alliance, the Vancouver Foundation, the Russell Family Foundation, Environment Canada and Raincoast Conservation Foundation donors, volunteers and many others.

Lastly, I am indebted to all the photographers who contributed their stunning images to this book, including Glenn Bartley, Mark Carwardine, Tom Collopy, Rob Davey, Kent Fredriksson, Mary Frische, Brad Hill, Ralph Hocken, Peter Hodum, Tim Irvin, Daisuke Kawai, Heidi Krajewsky, Guillame Mazille, Tom Middleton, James R. Page, Rob Palmer, Marie Schneider, Jared Towers, Larry Travis, Gerrit Vyn, Lori Waters and Kirk Zufelt. I also appreciate the assistance of Martina Steffen, Kim Martin, Brian Seymour and Dan Savard at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Lastly, I acknowledge the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia and the archives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for their contributions.

Proceeds from this book contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts by Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Visit www.raincoast.org for more information.

A feather washes up on Canada’s Pacific coast. IMAGE COURTESY OF JAMES R. PAGE.

All I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, and the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

—John Masefield, Sea-Fever, Salt-Water Ballads, 1902

1 Marine Birds of Canada’s Pacific Coast

Laysan albatrosses are striking birds. With wingspans that stretch over two metres and bold, contrasting colouration, these birds have a tendency to dominate the skylines of the open North Pacific Ocean. Just not usually here, in shallow waters over the continental shelf, barely 80 kilometres westward from the British Columbian coast. Here these animals are rare.

While surveying for marine birds, I had seen a shadow just off to port. With the sun ahead of us bringing a heavy glare upon the seas, the conditions for observing birds were poor. Low on the water, moving fast but somehow motionless, the shadow’s outline was unmistakably one of the albatrosses. But it wasn’t until the bird came alongside us, emerging out of the glare to display its dark brow and contrasting charcoal and white plumage, that I confirmed its identity. LAAL (code for Laysan albatross), I scribble in my soaking-wet notebook.

Named on the basis of a specimen from Laysan Island, which is part of the Hawaiian Islands chain and also hosts a major breeding colony, Laysan albatrosses wander over more than 40 million square kilometres of the North Pacific Ocean. With a population pegged at nearly two million birds, Laysan albatrosses are currently the most abundant albatross species in the North Pacific, although the species is listed as near threatened internationally.¹ Despite their wide range, coastal waters such as these are not favoured, with the first