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An International Symposium on “Seabirds as Indicators of Change in Marine Ecosystems” was held as part of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group (PSG), which occurred February 16-18, 2006, in Girdwood, Alaska.
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The Pacific Seabird Group
The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) is a society of professional seabird researchers and managers dedicated to the study and conservation of seabirds. The principle goals of PSG are (1) to increase the quality and quantity of seabird research through facilitating exchange of information and (2) to identify and assess the importance of threats to seabird populations and provide government agencies and others with expert advice on managing the threats and populations.
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 An International Symposium on “Seabirds as Indicators of Change in Marine Ecosystems”
 The purpose of the symposium is to critically examine specific questions about how seabirds indicate conditions in marine ecosystems. We will draw upon the expertise of invited speakers from around the globe, and from PSG members attending the meeting who wish to contribute to the symposium. The symposium will take place over all three days of the PSG meeting, but will include several keynote speakers and a hosted lunch on the first day. There will be a workshop for invited participants on the last day. We have identified three broad themes in using seabirds as indicators of marine ecosystems: (1) Indicators of forage fish and plankton ecology, (2) Indicators of marine habitat quality, and, (3) Indicators of cyclic climate change and global warming. In addressing these themes, we are asking participants to critically evaluate the role of one or more species of seabirds as indicators. Brief History of Seabirds as Indicators (pdf file 698k).
This symposium is being supported by the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), and represents one step in their efforts to develop an integrated marine research strategy for Alaska. Our goal is to develop an agenda for research on marine birds and to identify specific research strategies that would contribute to the mission of the NPRB, “to build a clear understanding of North Pacific ecosystems that enables effective management and sustainable use of marine resources”. Talks and posters presented at the symposium will help guide us as we develop a research agenda. We plan to publish some of the papers presented at this PSG symposium and important conclusions of the symposium will be incorporated into the NPRB research strategy. For more information please see the flyer An International Symposium on “Seabirds as Indicators of Change in Marine Ecosystems” (pdf file 489k)
 SAI Symposium Invited Speakers Abstracts [PDF file 73k] [Word document 99k]
Bibliography for Seabirds as Indicators - [PDF file 250k] [Word document 506 k] [Procite database 329k]
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