Seabird Broad-Scale Distribution, 2010 (B64)

The goal of this project was to describe the broad-scale distribution of seabirds in conjunction with the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP) funded by the North Pacific Research Board. As a component of BSIERP, observers were placed on selected vessels of opportunity in collaboration with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The primary focus was on the Bering Sea, but additional surveys were conducted in collaboration with vessel-based projects in the Arctic (funded by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE)) and in the Gulf of Alaska. In 2010, there were 20 cruises in the Chukchi/Beaufort seas, Bering Sea, and Gulf of Alaska from March through October. In the Bering Sea, the observers surveyed 29,451 km of transects. In the Arctic and Gulf of Alaska the observers surveyed 3,014 and 4,964km, respectively. The observers used strip-transect methodology and followed USFWS protocol (see observer manual for details). All data have also been submitted to the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD).