Surveys for Beached Marine Mammals and Seabird Carcasses: Annual Progress Report
Holm G. 2001. Surveys for Beached Marine Mammals and Seabird Carcasses: Annual Progress Report. Redwood National and State Parks
Excerpts: "Beached carcass surveys are performed to ascertain baseline information about seabird and marine mammal mortality that occurs along the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) coastline. The main objectives of the surveys are to gather trend data on mortalities, and determine whether the mortalities resulted from natural or anthropogenic events. Documenting natural mortalities can help biologists monitor events such as the expected death of post-fledging and adult seabirds, fatal injuries from predation and other natural hazards, and diseases in a population. Also, the effects of natural events (e.g. El Nino) on a population could be monitored more effectively. The presence of petroleum products on carcasses can provide information on 'background' levels of these contaminants in the marine system. In addition, baseline data on the presence of petroleum products on wildlife can be valuable for comparison when a large scale spill occurs. Entanglement in fishing gear and human trash, such as plastic bags and six-pack rings, has been documented as a cause of death for marine fauna, and is monitored for frequency of occurrence within RNSP. Winter surveys (January, February, November, and December of 2001) were only conducted on Gold Bluffs Beach and Freshwater Spit, whereas surveys from March-October were conducted on all 7 of the beach stretches. Sixty carcasses were detected during winter surveys. Five hundred and ninety two carcasses were detected [during non-winter surveys]." It includes information on species of seabirds and marine mammals detected and future survey recommendations. Appendices include maps of beach stretches surveyed, beach carcass survey protocol, and a data form.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Holm, Greg
- Date of Issue
- 2001-12-27
- Publisher
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Units
- REDW
- Keywords
- Absence (Biodiversity), Abundance (Biodiversity), Animal Studies, Baseline Data, beach carcass survey, Beach Survey, Distribution (Biodiversity), Marine Birds, Marine Mammals, Monitoring, Mortality, Oil, Presence (Biodiversity), Progress Report, Taxa Links To References, Trends