Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence

Eric J Ward; Kristin N Marshall; Toby Ross; Adam Sedgley; Todd Hass; Scott F Pearson; Gerald Joyce; Nathalie J Hamel; Peter J Hodum; Rob Faucett

doi:10.7717/peerj.704

Using citizen-science data to identify local hotspots of seabird occurrence

PeerJ. 2015 Jan 15:3:e704. doi: 10.7717/peerj.704. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Seattle, WA , USA.
² Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA ; Science Committee, Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA.
³ School of Marine and Environmental Affairs , Seattle, WA , USA ; Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington , Seattle, WA , USA.
⁴ Wildlife Science Division, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife , Olympia, WA , USA.
⁵ Science Committee, Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA ; Moon Joyce Resources , Seattle, WA , USA.
⁶ Science Committee, Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA ; Puget Sound Partnership , Tacoma, WA , USA.
⁷ Science Committee, Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA ; Biology Department, University of Puget Sound , Tacoma, WA , USA.
⁸ Science Committee, Seattle Audubon Society , Seattle, WA , USA ; Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington , Seattle, WA , USA.

Abstract

Seabirds have been identified and used as indicators of ecosystem processes such as climate change and human activity in nearshore ecosystems around the globe. Temporal and spatial trends have been documented at large spatial scales, but few studies have examined more localized patterns of spatiotemporal variation, by species or functional group. In this paper, we apply spatial occupancy models to assess the spatial patchiness and interannual trends of 18 seabird species in the Puget Sound region (Washington State, USA). Our dataset, the Puget Sound Seabird Survey of the Seattle Audubon Society, is unique in that it represents a seven-year study, collected with a focus on winter months (October-April). Despite historic declines of seabirds in the region over the last 50 years, results from our study are optimistic, suggesting increases in probabilities of occurrence for 14 of the 18 species included. We found support for declines in occurrence for white-winged scoters, brants, and 2 species of grebes. The decline of Western grebes in particular is troubling, but in agreement with other recent studies that have shown support for a range shift south in recent years, to the southern end of California Current.

Keywords: Citizen-science; Hotspots; Occupancy models; Puget Sound; Salish Sea; Seabirds; Spatial models.

Grants and funding

Funding for the Puget Sound Seabird Survey was provided by Boeing, Sustainable Path Foundation, Russell Family Foundation, WDFW, and Patagonia. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.