Scientists study seabird distributions
Knowing where an albatross prefers to dine is vital information when it comes to undertaking any marine activity.
Whether it’s setting up an aquaculture business, looking for minerals or fishing, understanding the effect any
ocean-based activity may have on our sea birds is crucial to their future.
That’s why NIWA scientists are undertaking research that will help us better understand what several of our seabird
species are up to.
The research is being funded by the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, which aims to enhance use of the New
Zealand’s marine resources while ensuring the marine environment is cared for and used wisely.
The Sustainable Seas challenge is working to address many of the issues raised in a report on the state of our marine
environment, released last week by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Statistics New Zealand.
The report said New Zealand’s marine environment is under increasing pressure from climate change, pollution and pests.
The precarious state of our marine bird species were highlighted, with the report declaring that more than half are at
risk of extinction.
NIWA scientists Drs David Thompson and Kim Goetz are working on a project to improve understanding of seabird
distributions.
Collecting information on seabirds at sea can be extremely costly and time consuming. Thisrequires people in boats
observing where birds occur in a structured and systematic way, usually seasonally and repeated over several years.
“If there’s a way of doing that meaningfully and rigorously without that kind of effort and cost, it seems like a
worthwhile thing to do,” Dr Thompson says.
Dr Thompson and Dr Goetz are planning to build three computer models, based on four species of albatross. The first
model will use published information and expert knowledge on how seabirds use the marine environment. The second will be
based onsightings data. The third model will use precise tracking data to construct the most ‘truthful’ and definitive
representation of albatross distributions.
The third model’s output will be the benchmark against which results from the first two models will be compared. This
will enable Thompson and Goetz to identify the type and extent of location data required in order to understand how
seabirds use our marine systems.
“Hopefully it will allow us to say what level of data are needed to construct a reasonably informative and meaningful
model.”
Dr Thompson says the research is important because of the numerous threats facing seabirds.
“It’s important to know where and when species occur– otherwise it’s impossible to assess whether a particular activity
will impact a particular species. Questions on this come up all the time.”
The seabird research is just one strand of the Sustainable Seas challenge. Director Dr Julie Hall says the breadth of
research being undertaken within the challenge programme is at the core of what is needed to address the pressures
outlined in the MfE report.
“We want to transform the way we manage and coastal seas and our extensive Economic Exclusion Zone to ensure a healthy
and productive marine environment for generations,” she says.
“To do this we need to consider the whole ecosystem. That’s why the challenge aims to develop innovative tools for
informing decisions that are underpinned by new and exciting science that will reveal how our marine ecosystems function
and respond to pressures.”
For more information see: www.sustainableseaschallenge.co.nz