Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Tammy E.  Davies; Ana P.B.  Carneiro; Marguerite  Tarzia; Ewan D.  Wakefield; Janos  Hennicke; Morten Frederiksen; Erpur Snær  Hansen; Bruna  Campos; Carolina  Hazin; Ben  Lascelles; Tycho Anker-Nilssen; Hólmfríður Arnardóttir; Robert T. Barrett; Manuel J Biscoito; Loïc  Bollache; Thierry  Boulinier; Paulo Catry; Filipe R.  Ceia; Olivier Chastel; Signe  Christensen Dalsgaard; Marta  Cruz-Flores; Jóhannis  Danielsen; Francis Daunt; Euan  Dunn; Carsten  Egevang; Ana Isabel  Fagundes; Annette L. Fayet; Jérôme Fort; Robert W. Furness; Olivier Gilg; Jacob Gonzalez-Solis; Jose Pedro Granadeiro; David Grémillet; Tim Guilford; Sveinn Are  Hanssen; Michael P Harris; April Hedd; Nicholas  Per Huffeldt; Mark J. Jessopp; Yann  Kolbeinsson; Johannes  Krietsch; Johannes Lang; Jannie Fries  Linnebjerg; Svein-Håkon  Lorentsen; Jeremy  Madeiros; Ellen  Magnusdottir; Mark L.  Mallory; Laura  McFarlane Tranquilla; Flemming R.  Merkel; Teresa  Militão; Borge Moe; William A.  Montevecchi; Virginia  Morera-Pujo; Anders  Mosbech; Verónica  Neves; Mark A. Newell; Bergur  Olsen; Vitor H.  Paiva; Hans-Ulrich  Peter; Aevar  Petersen; Richard A Phillips; Iván  Ramírez; Jaime Albino Ramos; Raül  Ramos; Robert A.  Ronconi; Peter G.  Ryan; Niels Martin Schmidt; Ingvar A.  Sigurðsson; Benoît  Sittler; Harald  Steen; Iain J.  Stenhouse; Hallvard Strøm; Geir H. R.  Systad; Paul Thompson; Thorkell Lindberg  Thórarinsson; Rob S.A.  van Bemmelen; Sarah Wanless; Francis  Zino; Maria P.  Dias

doi:10.1111/conl.12824

Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Tammy E. Davies^* (Corresponding Author)
, Ana P.B. Carneiro
, Marguerite Tarzia
, Ewan D. Wakefield
, Janos Hennicke
, Morten Frederiksen
, Erpur Snær Hansen
, Bruna Campos
, Carolina Hazin
, Ben Lascelles
, Tycho Anker-Nilssen
, Hólmfríður Arnardóttir
, Robert T. Barrett
, Manuel J Biscoito
, Loïc Bollache
, Thierry Boulinier
, Paulo Catry
, Filipe R. Ceia
, Olivier Chastel
, Signe Christensen Dalsgaard

Marta Cruz-Flores, Jóhannis Danielsen, Francis Daunt, Euan Dunn, Carsten Egevang, Ana Isabel Fagundes, Annette L. Fayet, Jérôme Fort, Robert W. Furness, Olivier Gilg, Jacob Gonzalez-Solis, Jose Pedro Granadeiro, David Grémillet, Tim Guilford, Sveinn Are Hanssen, Michael P Harris, April Hedd, Nicholas Per Huffeldt, Mark J. Jessopp, Yann Kolbeinsson, Johannes Krietsch, Johannes Lang, Jannie Fries Linnebjerg, Svein-Håkon Lorentsen, Jeremy Madeiros, Ellen Magnusdottir, Mark L. Mallory, Laura McFarlane Tranquilla, Flemming R. Merkel, Teresa Militão, Borge Moe, William A. Montevecchi, Virginia Morera-Pujo, Anders Mosbech, Verónica Neves, Mark A. Newell, Bergur Olsen, Vitor H. Paiva, Hans-Ulrich Peter, Aevar Petersen, Richard A Phillips, Iván Ramírez, Jaime Albino Ramos, Raül Ramos, Robert A. Ronconi, Peter G. Ryan, Niels Martin Schmidt, Ingvar A. Sigurðsson, Benoît Sittler, Harald Steen, Iain J. Stenhouse, Hallvard Strøm, Geir H. R. Systad, Paul Thompson, Thorkell Lindberg Thórarinsson, Rob S.A. van Bemmelen, Sarah Wanless, Francis Zino, Maria P. Dias

^*Corresponding author for this work

BirdLife International
German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
Stichting BirdLife Europe
Fuglavernd / BirdLife in Iceland
Université de Bourgogne
Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique
Université de Montpellier
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), ISPA - Instituto Universitário
University of Coimbra
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio)
RSPB
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources
Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds
University of Glasgow
Universidade de Lisboa
Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change
Aarhus University
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
Justus Liebig University Giessen
University of Iceland
Acadia University
Birds Canada
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Faroe Marine Research Institute
Canadian Wildlife Service
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
University of Freiburg
Norwegian Polar Institute
Freira Conservation Project
South Iceland Nature Research Centre
Museu de História Natural do Funchal
NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh
Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive
University of Cape Town
CEFE-CNRS
University College Cork
Northeast Iceland Nature Research Centre
British Antarctic Survey
University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway
University of Oxford
University of Barcelona

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review

102 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform on-going regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the sub-polar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9-5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations have been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

Original language	English
Article number	12824
Number of pages	14
Journal	Conservation Letters
Volume	14
Issue number	5
Early online date	2 Aug 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12824
Publication status	Published - Sept 2021

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI) with a grant from the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports GOBI on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. The authors thank David Boyle, Vegard Brathen, Kendrew Colhoun, Jan Esefeld, Arnþór Garðarsson, H. Grant Gilchrist, Matthias Kopp, Yuri Krasnov, Mandy Shailer,Deryk Shaw, and the SEATRACK project who facilitated access to part of the data used in this study. Funding sources for the data used in this study are listed in Supporting Information – Additional Acknowledgments.

Data Availability Statement

The data are deposited on BirdLife International's Seabird Tracking Database http://www.seabirdtracking.org/

Additional supporting information may be found onlinein the Supporting Information section at the end of the article.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14 Life Below Water

Keywords

Area Beyond National Jurisdiction
Atlantic
Biologging
Conservation
High Seas
Marine Protected Area
Regional Seas Convention

Access to Document

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Davies_etal_CL_Multispecies_tracking_reveals_VOR
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Cite this

Davies, T. E., Carneiro, A. P. B., Tarzia, M., Wakefield, E. D., Hennicke, J., Frederiksen, M., Hansen, E. S., Campos, B., Hazin, C., Lascelles, B., Anker-Nilssen, T., Arnardóttir, H., Barrett, R. T., Biscoito, M. J., Bollache, L., Boulinier, T., Catry, P., Ceia, F. R., Chastel, O., ... Dias, M. P. (2021). Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic. Conservation Letters, 14(5), Article 12824. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12824

Davies, TE, Carneiro, APB, Tarzia, M, Wakefield, ED, Hennicke, J, Frederiksen, M, Hansen, ES, Campos, B, Hazin, C, Lascelles, B, Anker-Nilssen, T, Arnardóttir, H, Barrett, RT, Biscoito, MJ, Bollache, L, Boulinier, T, Catry, P, Ceia, FR, Chastel, O, Christensen Dalsgaard, S, Cruz-Flores, M, Danielsen, J, Daunt, F, Dunn, E, Egevang, C, Fagundes, AI, Fayet, AL, Fort, J, Furness, RW, Gilg, O, Gonzalez-Solis, J, Granadeiro, JP, Grémillet, D, Guilford, T, Hanssen, SA, Harris, MP, Hedd, A, Per Huffeldt, N, Jessopp, MJ, Kolbeinsson, Y, Krietsch, J, Lang, J, Linnebjerg, JF, Lorentsen, S-H, Madeiros, J, Magnusdottir, E, Mallory, ML, McFarlane Tranquilla, L, Merkel, FR, Militão, T, Moe, B, Montevecchi, WA, Morera-Pujo, V, Mosbech, A, Neves, V, Newell, MA, Olsen, B, Paiva, VH, Peter, H-U, Petersen, A, Phillips, RA, Ramírez, I, Ramos, JA, Ramos, R, Ronconi, RA, Ryan, PG, Schmidt, NM, Sigurðsson, IA, Sittler, B, Steen, H, Stenhouse, IJ, Strøm, H, Systad, GHR, Thompson, P, Thórarinsson, TL, van Bemmelen, RSA, Wanless, S, Zino, F & Dias, MP 2021, 'Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic', Conservation Letters, vol. 14, no. 5, 12824. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12824

@article{2c0efcf61af84ee8a2eecce33bb55b2a,

title = "Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic",

abstract = "The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform on-going regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the sub-polar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9-5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations have been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas. ",

keywords = "Area Beyond National Jurisdiction, Atlantic, Biologging, Conservation, High Seas, Marine Protected Area, Regional Seas Convention",

author = "Davies, \{Tammy E.\} and Carneiro, \{Ana P.B.\} and Marguerite Tarzia and Wakefield, \{Ewan D.\} and Janos Hennicke and Morten Frederiksen and Hansen, \{Erpur Sn{\ae}r\} and Bruna Campos and Carolina Hazin and Ben Lascelles and Tycho Anker-Nilssen and H{\'o}lmfr{\'i}{\dh}ur Arnard{\'o}ttir and Barrett, \{Robert T.\} and Biscoito, \{Manuel J\} and Lo{\"i}c Bollache and Thierry Boulinier and Paulo Catry and Ceia, \{Filipe R.\} and Olivier Chastel and \{Christensen Dalsgaard\}, Signe and Marta Cruz-Flores and J{\'o}hannis Danielsen and Francis Daunt and Euan Dunn and Carsten Egevang and Fagundes, \{Ana Isabel\} and Fayet, \{Annette L.\} and J{\'e}r{\^o}me Fort and Furness, \{Robert W.\} and Olivier Gilg and Jacob Gonzalez-Solis and Granadeiro, \{Jose Pedro\} and David Gr{\'e}millet and Tim Guilford and Hanssen, \{Sveinn Are\} and Harris, \{Michael P\} and April Hedd and \{Per Huffeldt\}, Nicholas and Jessopp, \{Mark J.\} and Yann Kolbeinsson and Johannes Krietsch and Johannes Lang and Linnebjerg, \{Jannie Fries\} and Svein-H{\aa}kon Lorentsen and Jeremy Madeiros and Ellen Magnusdottir and Mallory, \{Mark L.\} and \{McFarlane Tranquilla\}, Laura and Merkel, \{Flemming R.\} and Teresa Milit{\~a}o and Borge Moe and Montevecchi, \{William A.\} and Virginia Morera-Pujo and Anders Mosbech and Ver{\'o}nica Neves and Newell, \{Mark A.\} and Bergur Olsen and Paiva, \{Vitor H.\} and Hans-Ulrich Peter and Aevar Petersen and Phillips, \{Richard A\} and Iv{\'a}n Ram{\'i}rez and Ramos, \{Jaime Albino\} and Ra{\"u}l Ramos and Ronconi, \{Robert A.\} and Ryan, \{Peter G.\} and Schmidt, \{Niels Martin\} and Sigur{\dh}sson, \{Ingvar A.\} and Beno{\^i}t Sittler and Harald Steen and Stenhouse, \{Iain J.\} and Hallvard Str{\o}m and Systad, \{Geir H. R.\} and Paul Thompson and Th{\'o}rarinsson, \{Thorkell Lindberg\} and \{van Bemmelen\}, \{Rob S.A.\} and Sarah Wanless and Francis Zino and Dias, \{Maria P.\}",

note = "Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI) with a grant from the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports GOBI on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. The authors thank David Boyle, Vegard Brathen, Kendrew Colhoun, Jan Esefeld, Arn{\th}{\'o}r Gar{\dh}arsson, H. Grant Gilchrist, Matthias Kopp, Yuri Krasnov, Mandy Shailer,Deryk Shaw, and the SEATRACK project who facilitated access to part of the data used in this study. Funding sources for the data used in this study are listed in Supporting Information {\textendash} Additional Acknowledgments. ",

year = "2021",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1111/conl.12824",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

journal = "Conservation Letters",

issn = "1755-263X",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",

number = "5",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

AU - Davies, Tammy E.

AU - Carneiro, Ana P.B.

AU - Tarzia, Marguerite

AU - Wakefield, Ewan D.

AU - Hennicke, Janos

AU - Frederiksen, Morten

AU - Hansen, Erpur Snær

AU - Campos, Bruna

AU - Hazin, Carolina

AU - Lascelles, Ben

AU - Anker-Nilssen, Tycho

AU - Arnardóttir, Hólmfríður

AU - Barrett, Robert T.

AU - Biscoito, Manuel J

AU - Bollache, Loïc

AU - Boulinier, Thierry

AU - Catry, Paulo

AU - Ceia, Filipe R.

AU - Chastel, Olivier

AU - Christensen Dalsgaard, Signe

AU - Cruz-Flores, Marta

AU - Danielsen, Jóhannis

AU - Daunt, Francis

AU - Dunn, Euan

AU - Egevang, Carsten

AU - Fagundes, Ana Isabel

AU - Fayet, Annette L.

AU - Fort, Jérôme

AU - Furness, Robert W.

AU - Gilg, Olivier

AU - Gonzalez-Solis, Jacob

AU - Granadeiro, Jose Pedro

AU - Grémillet, David

AU - Guilford, Tim

AU - Hanssen, Sveinn Are

AU - Harris, Michael P

AU - Hedd, April

AU - Per Huffeldt, Nicholas

AU - Jessopp, Mark J.

AU - Kolbeinsson, Yann

AU - Krietsch, Johannes

AU - Lang, Johannes

AU - Linnebjerg, Jannie Fries

AU - Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon

AU - Madeiros, Jeremy

AU - Magnusdottir, Ellen

AU - Mallory, Mark L.

AU - McFarlane Tranquilla, Laura

AU - Merkel, Flemming R.

AU - Militão, Teresa

AU - Moe, Borge

AU - Montevecchi, William A.

AU - Morera-Pujo, Virginia

AU - Mosbech, Anders

AU - Neves, Verónica

AU - Newell, Mark A.

AU - Olsen, Bergur

AU - Paiva, Vitor H.

AU - Peter, Hans-Ulrich

AU - Petersen, Aevar

AU - Phillips, Richard A

AU - Ramírez, Iván

AU - Ramos, Jaime Albino

AU - Ramos, Raül

AU - Ronconi, Robert A.

AU - Ryan, Peter G.

AU - Schmidt, Niels Martin

AU - Sigurðsson, Ingvar A.

AU - Sittler, Benoît

AU - Steen, Harald

AU - Stenhouse, Iain J.

AU - Strøm, Hallvard

AU - Systad, Geir H. R.

AU - Thompson, Paul

AU - Thórarinsson, Thorkell Lindberg

AU - van Bemmelen, Rob S.A.

AU - Wanless, Sarah

AU - Zino, Francis

AU - Dias, Maria P.

N1 - Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI) with a grant from the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports GOBI on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. The authors thank David Boyle, Vegard Brathen, Kendrew Colhoun, Jan Esefeld, Arnþór Garðarsson, H. Grant Gilchrist, Matthias Kopp, Yuri Krasnov, Mandy Shailer,Deryk Shaw, and the SEATRACK project who facilitated access to part of the data used in this study. Funding sources for the data used in this study are listed in Supporting Information – Additional Acknowledgments.

PY - 2021/9

Y1 - 2021/9

N2 - The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform on-going regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the sub-polar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9-5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations have been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

AB - The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform on-going regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the sub-polar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9-5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations have been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site-based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data-driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.

KW - Area Beyond National Jurisdiction

KW - Atlantic

KW - Biologging

KW - Conservation

KW - High Seas

KW - Marine Protected Area

KW - Regional Seas Convention

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85111627223

U2 - 10.1111/conl.12824

DO - 10.1111/conl.12824

M3 - Letter

SN - 1755-263X

VL - 14

JO - Conservation Letters

JF - Conservation Letters

IS - 5

M1 - 12824

ER -

Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Lighthouse Field Station

Cite this

Multispecies tracking reveals a major seabird hotspot in the North Atlantic

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Data Availability Statement

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Equipment

Lighthouse Field Station

Cite this