SEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: Patrick G.R. Jodice, USGS South Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson University; Mark Woodrey, Mississippi State University & Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve; Auriel Fournier, Coastal Research and Extension, Mississippi State University

ABSTRACT: The Gulf of Mexico supports a diverse suite of seabirds throughout coastal and pelagic waters during both breeding and nonbreeding phases of the annual cycle. Breeding birds in the northern Gulf consist of nearshore species (e.g., pelicans, terns) that winter throughout the northern Gulf but also migrate to the southern Gulf. Breeding birds in the southern Gulf include both nearshore as well as more pelagic species (e.g., boobies, pelagic terns) that are disperse throughout the Gulf and Caribbean during the nonbreeding season. Further, inland breeding waterbirds (e.g. Black Terns) and seabirds from outside the Gulf region migrate to and through the Gulf. As a guild, however, the distribution, abundance, and habitat use at sea of seabirds in the Gulf have not received a level of research attention that is warranted given their high conservation status and the level of anthropogenic development throughout the coastal and pelagic waters of the Gulf. Here, we review case studies of the application of biotelemetry to seabirds to address conservation needs throughout the Gulf. We purposefully focus on data collected via different technologies that result in data across a range of spatial and temporal scales to demonstrate how these multi-scale efforts can be applied to conservation in the Gulf. As a means to further our understanding of Gulf marine systems, we conclude by proposing a biologging approach focused on multiple taxa of apex predators (e.g., seabirds and predatory fish).