Recommendation

This study suggests that there is value in comparing and relating seabird data with other marine ecosystem data. Some of this seabird data is contributed by "amateur bird watchers", via Christmas Bird Counts, eBird, and other means. Other marine data is contributed by scientists and fishermen, and in many forms, some of which may not be well known or easy to find. Birders, ornithologists, fishermen and marine scientists all have their different experiences of the marine world, and sometimes keep their data and knowledge in different places. As our environment changes now may be a good time for all these stakeholders to document all (or most of) their relevant data resources (including the new marine data portals which are emerging), in one catalog, a kind of directory with links pointing to most data sources, at least starting with the GOM and nearby areas. The authors of this report will be happy to work with others to develop that shared resource, that multi-purpose catalog/directory or perhaps to augment an existing one. Please let us know if you would like to partner on this.

A second recommendation is to take more people out on a new kind of "pelagic trip", where more birders and others could get first hand experience with all major aspects of the ocean ecosystem, including all the factors in this article. Such trips could be led by a marine scientist in addition to bird watchers knowledgeable about seabirds. We need to get a much larger core of people understanding what is changing in the ocean, and for them to have a direct personal experience with it. We request any marine scientists interested in creating such ocean trips to contact us.

Robben99 AT gmail DOT com