Documents from the Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group (CBird).
Update SeabirdsCircumpolar Seabird Expert Group (CBird)CBMP-Marine
In 2017, the State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report (SAMBR) synthesized data about biodiversity in Arctic marine ecosystems around the circumpolar Arctic. SAMBR highlighted observed changes and relevant monitoring gaps using data compiled through 2015 (CAFF 2017). This document provides an update on the status of seabirds in the circumpolar Arctic using data from 2016–2019.
Brünnich’s guillemot is an abundant pan-Arctic seabird, but several Atlantic breeding populations are declining by up to 6% per year. They are subject to traditional hunting in the wintering areas off west Greenland and Newfoundland, as well as chronic oil pollution in eastern Canada. Until recently, poor knowledge of the winter distribution has limited the possibility to assess the impact of these mortality sources on specific breeding populations.
Plastic ingestion by seabirds in the circumpolar Arctic: A review
January 2021
Review of plastic pollution policies of Arctic countries in relation to seabirds
Developing a program to monitor plastic pollution in seabirds in the pan-Arctic region.
CBird addresses and coordinates work onCBird addresses and coordinates work onproblems related to seabird studies andconservation which are nationally relevant inRussia.
CBird listed Icelandic monitoring programs inCBird listed Icelandic monitoring programs inthe Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan. TheSeabird Information Network by Cbird/CAFFprovides an international platform and contextfor the publication of Icelandic results.
CBird background processes, e.g. AMBI andCBird background processes, e.g. AMBI andCBMP Marine, are important also in nationalwork, and CAFF facilitates disseminationof information about population changes,monitoring and conservation. Synergiescould be obtained as to seabird monitoringthat feeds into e.g. HELCOM and EUreportings.
More in the report.
The UK’s involvement in the CAFF CBIRD expert The UK’s involvement in the CAFF CBIRD expertgroup is driven by the following priorities:
Based on its Arctic Policy, Japan aims to make fullBased on its Arctic Policy, Japan aims to make fulluse of its strength in science and technology andpromote Arctic Research to contribute to policydecision making and problem solving. Scientificinput and partnership via strengthened researchand projects such as the Arctic Challenge forSustainability Project (ArCS) with CBird activitiesunder CAFF is an excellent opportunity for us tocontribute as an observer country to the ArcticCouncil.
The national priorities in the Faroes are to preserve the nature at the same time as some species are exploited for food and leisure time activities.
Under AMBI Circumpolar Flyway Work Plan objective 4, action 1, this project, Plastic pollution and seabirds, is focused onUnder AMBI Circumpolar Flyway Work Plan objective 4, action 1, this project, Plastic pollution and seabirds, is focused onsupporting work that will increase our understanding and ability to respond accordingly to the distribution and effects ofplastic pollution on Arctic seabirds and seaducks.
The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla, hereafter kittiwake) is a small pelagic seabird and is the most numerous gull species in the world. It has a circumpolar distribution, and breeds in the arctic and boreal zones of the Northern Hemisphere. It’s breeding distribution is widespread and ranges across the North Atlantic from the west coast to the Barents Sea, including Arctic Canada, Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, mainland Norway, Svalbard, Murman Coast, Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. In the Pacific, the kittiwake breeds in the Russian Far East and Alaska, USA. The kittiwake spends most of the non-breeding period offshore. Most of those breeding in the North Atlantic spend the winter in the North-West Atlantic, over the shelf, slope and deep waters off Newfoundland and Labrador and south of Greenland, whereas the Pacific birds stay in cool, productive waters north of the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone.
A North Atlantic study of seabird bycatch in lumpsucker gillnet fisheries
Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Anker-Nilssen, T., Crawford, R., Bond, A., Sigurðsson, G.M., Glemarec, G., Hansen,Christensen-Dalsgaard, S., Anker-Nilssen, T., Crawford, R., Bond, A., Sigurðsson, G.M., Glemarec, G., Hansen,E.S., Kadin, M., Kindt-Larsen, L., Mallory, M., Merkel, F.R., Petersen, A., Provencher, J., Bærum, K.M. 2019. What’sthe catch with lumpsuckers? A North Atlantic study of seabird bycatch in lumpsucker gillnet fisheries. BiologicalConservation: Volume 240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108278
Morten Frederiksen, Jannie F. Linnebjerg, Flemming R. Merkel, Sabina I. Wilhelm & Gregory J. Robertson (2019).Morten Frederiksen, Jannie F. Linnebjerg, Flemming R. Merkel, Sabina I. Wilhelm & Gregory J. Robertson (2019).Quantifying the relative impact of hunting and oiling on Brünnich’s guillemots in the Nothwest Atlantic. PolarResearch 38: 3378. Doi: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v38.3378
The Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan (Irons et al. 2015; CAFF Monitoring Report No. 17) included the USA seabird monitoring sites and actions, which are primarily implemented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In turn, the USFWS, through collaboration with other CBird members, refined their monitoring scheme to facilitate comparisons across circumpolar regions, with a focus on three key Focal Ecosystem Components - thick-billed murres, common murres, and black-legged kittiwakes.
The UK's involvement in the CAFF CBIRD group is driven by the following priorities:
our UK Arctic Policy Framework which has a commitment to help understand and protect the Arctic environment and is based on the principle of respect for the sovereign rights of the Arctic States, the indigenous peoples and others who live there, and for the Arctic environment;
our implementation of multi-lateral environmental agreements which are relevant to the Arctic (AEWA, CBD, CITES and others) including related targets such as the Aichi targets;
our desire to cooperate in the conservation of migratory wildlife we share with the Arctic; and,
our willingness to share the data we gather, whether from the UK or elsewhere, on such shared wildlife.
CBird addresses and coordinates work on issues related to seabird management and research that are very relevant for seabird research and management at the national level in Norway. Issues of particular relevance for Norway are international status assessments (e.g. SAMBR), species-specific conservation strategies and action plans (eiders, guillemots, ivory gull), assessments of seabird harvest and bycatch of seabirds in fisheries, and the development of a joint seabird monitoring programme for the circumpolar Arctic.
CBird helps putting the national work into a larger context and facilitates contact between scientist and managers in the Arctic countries.
Based on its Arctic Policy, Japan aims to make full use of its strength in science and technology and promote Arctic Research to contribute to policy decision making and problem solving.
Avian monitoring status and species prioritization were compiled in a report by Guðmundsson & Skarphéðinsson (2012).
CBird listed the current Icelandic seabird monitoring programs in the Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan (Irons et al. 2015, CAFF Monitoring Report No.17).
A national priority for Greenland is to balance the preservation of wildlife while still allowing human exploitation on some of the same resources. Among the seabirds, several important havested species are shared with other Arctic countries, implying that the responsibility to secure a sustainable harvest is also shared between countries.
The French National Roadmap for the Arctic defines the protection of the marine environment as well as research and scientific cooperation as two of the French policy priorities in the Arctic and is thereby in agreement with CBird objectives. CBird objectives are also compatible with research work carried on seabirds by teams funded by the French Polar Institute and the CNRS. Research works are operated in Svalbard, Greenland, Norway and built-up collaboration with Arctic nations. These activities are also in line with the French Arctic Initiative work plan exposing the main axes of research to be explored by the French scientific community in order to further understand the major issues affecting the Arctic.
CBird background processes, e.g. AMBI, are important also in national work. In addition, significant synergies could be obtained as to seabird monitoring that nationally feed into e.g. HELCOM and EU reportings. While the Baltic Sea falls outside many Arctic sea area delineations, it hosts several CBird target species, many of which also are among national priorities.
The national priorities in the Faroes are to preserve the nature at the same time as some species are exploited for food and leisuretime activities. However, to do this properly in a sustainable way, regarding seabirds, we need much more information about the different seabird populations, for example their sizes, fluctuations and breeding biology. Most of the information is from the island Skúvoy, which is in the middle of the Faroe Islands, and the results about fluctuations in the guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars are from a study area (figure 1) on this island. Now that tourism is rapidly increasing and boat trips to the seabird cliffs and hiking trips through seabird colonies are among the most attractive leisure-time activities it is a challenge to implement rules to minimize disturbance caused by these activities.
The CBird North Atlantic Murre Harvest Model will inform assessment and development of national and international harvest management strategies for declining populations of thick-billed murre. Ensuring sustainable harvest levels aligns with Environment and Climate Change Canada's mandate, the goals of AMBI, and the CBird Strategy and Action Plan for Murres.
Provides a summary overview of the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) Circumpolar Flyway in a scientific poster.
A circumpolar plan to monitor seabird populations, created by CAFF's CBird Expert Group as part of the marine component of CAFF's Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program.
A one page description of the priority species, actions and activities of the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI): Circumpolar Flyway.
This report summarizes population status and trends for 19 populations of Arctic seabirds within the AEWA area. It is a 2014 update of the 2011 CAFF report that was compiled as an input to the 2012 African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Birds in the Agreement Area (abbreviated Conservation Status Report, CSR) being prepared by Wetlands International
Outlines the goals, objectives, and descriptions of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Expert Working Groups: CAFF's Flora Group (CFG), the Circumpolar Seabird Working Group (CBird), the Circumpolar Protected Areas Network (CPAN).
A summary report produced by Wetlands International of the CAFF Workshop on Migratory Arctic Birds, Songli, Norway, September 10-11, 2000. The workshop aimed to facilitate improved co-ordination and collaboration among Arctic countries sharing migratory bird species and/or populations with those countries outside the Arctic that are responsible for Arctic breeding birds during the non-breeding season.
An update to the CAFF Board on CBird activities.
The proceedings of CBird's fifteenth meeting.
Proceedings of CBird's 14th meeting.
Proceedings of CBird's thirteenth meeting in Stockholm Sweden.
The proceedings of CBird's eleventh annual meeting.
The proceedings from the eighth CBird meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.A.
The proceedings of CBird's ninth annual meeting.
The CBird newsletter, a tool for exchanging seabird information and publishing summaries of CBird activities.
The status and trend of indicator species #19, seabird harvest, in the Arctic Biodiversity Trend 2010 report.
Proposes objectives, means, details of data ownership, and initial analytical tools of sharing seabird information across the Arctic on the internet to improve conservation efforts by providing a tool to analize seabird status and trends information on a circumpolar scale.
A report that aims to facilitate circumpolar implementation of initiatives to conserve, protect and restore murre populations in the Arctic.
An Internaitonal Ivory Gull Conservation Strategy and Action Plan developed to gain more insight into how this under-studied bird responds to increasing threats from disappearance of sea ice habitat, natural resource exploration and increased contaminant loads and to facilitate circumpolar implementation of initiatives to conserve and protect the Ivory Gull in the circumpolar Arctic.
Drastic decline in eider populations, combined with their circumpolar distribution, increased hunting pressures and cultural significance led CBird to develop a Circumpolar Eider Conservation Strategy and Action Plan to facilitate circumpolar efforts to conserve, protect and restore eider populations.
The status and trend of indicator species #5, seabirds - common eider, in the Arctic Biodiversity Trend 2010 report.
The status and trend of indicator species #4, seabirds - murre/guillemots, in the Arctic Biodiversity Trend 2010 report.
As assessment of seabird harvest in the Arctic by the Circumpolar Seabird Group (CBird).
This report introduces the topic of incidental take of seabirds in commercial fisheries and describes the fisheries industries, seabird bycatch and impacts in Alaska (U.S.A.), Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, and provides national recommendations.
The report analyzes various human activities and the disturbances they may cause in Arctic seabird colonies and makes recommendations to reduce the harm in such activities.
This report describes the migratory birds of the Arctic, their migration systems, and how they are already protected under international legislation when they leave the Arctic.
The CAFF Working Group of the Arctic Council hosted this workshop on the incidental catch of seabirds in the waters of Arctic countries in response to recommendations put forth in the recent CAFF Technical Report No. 1 entitled Incidental Take of Seabirds in Commercial Fisheries in the Arctic Countries. A second focus of the workshop was longline incidental catch, in response to The International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries a voluntary instrument of the FAO.
This technical report introduces the topic of seabird harvest regimes and describes the seabird harvest regimes and impacts in Alaska (U.S.A.), Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, and provides national recommendations.
A description for a cooperative banding program project between the Arctic countries.
A summary of the population status and trends for 19 populations of Arctic seabirds.
A framework document for developing an integrated monitoring framework for seabirds.
