Projects: Seabird Research

Seabird Research

I am an expert in the foraging ecology and breeding biology of marine birds, in particular alcids and gadfly petrels. My research has taken me to remote islands off the British Columbia coast, the Galápagos Islands, and to the Robinson Crusoe Islands in Chile.

Since 1987, I have studied birds at sea and on their breeding colonies. Using a combination of field observations, long-term banding, bird-borne data loggers and remote sensing data, my research has answered questions related to life history tradeoffs, response to oceanographic conditions, identification of key foraging habitats, and the spatial-temporal overlap with commercial fisheries.

Alcids

From Haida Gwaii to Vancouver Island, I have studied ancient murrelets and other alcids in their…

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Fisheries Bycatch

I have worked with government agencies, fishermen, and the at-sea observer programs to assess rates, develop…

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Gadfly Petrels

Gadfly Petrels

This research was the first of its kind to study the provisioning strategy of the Juan…

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Introduced Species

On many seabird colonies, there are introduced predators. My research has included studying the effects of…

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Island Restoration

I am very interested in the science of island restoration, particularly in the role of seabirds…

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Marine Ecosystems - Monitoring

Long-term Monitoring

I have worked with government agencies and non-governmental agencies in Canada and the USA to develop,…

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Northeast Pacific Ocean

A 9,000 km voyage from the Galapagos Islands to Vancouver Island, BC presented a unique opportunity…

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Seabird Research - Plastics

Plastics

Plastic consumption in seabirds is gaining increasing attention as spatial documentation, chick mortalities and concerns about…

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Seabird Research Guides - Jo Smith

Seabird ID cards

Educational outreach is an important component of reducing the incidental catch of seabirds in commercial fisheries.…

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Policy - Species at Risk

Species at Risk

The albatrosses and shearwaters are most at risk in BC from incidental longline mortality. I have…

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