Did you know that seabirds are good indicators of marine ecosystem health? They can serve as an early detection system for changes in ocean conditions, and events such as oil spills. With the escalation of shipping traffic, fishing effort, and development along coastal environments, collecting baseline information on the causes and rates of seabird mortality has become increasingly important.
Through the Beached Bird Survey, Birds Canada aims to engage citizens in crucial environmental monitoring and stewardship. The information collected by volunteers is used to assess the causes and levels of seabird mortality from oil, entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch), predation, starvation, disease, and other factors. Oil pollution poses a great threat to pelagic seabirds and coastal waterbirds, because just a small amount of oil can degrade the insulating and waterproofing properties of feathers.
For more information on how to volunteer, visit program pages or contact program leads
British Columbia Program
Contact Information
Rémi Torrenta, Ph.D.
BC Projects Coordinator
rtorrenta AT birdscanada.org
