A Critical Stronghold for Atlantic Seabirds

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine Nationwide Monument protects distinctive deep-water canyons and corals, and is a crucial foraging habitat for seabirds, notably Atlantic Puffins throughout the useless of winter.   Audubon was instrumental in uncovering that populations of Atlantic Puffins depend on this monument to refill on fish in winter months. This discovery helped set up the monument and draw its boundaries to adequately defend Atlantic Puffins and different seabirds.  Since that point, Audubon and companions have continued to doc the significance of this space to seabirds, together with Leach’s Storm-petrels, a few of whom forage throughout the monument boundaries to feed their younger whereas nesting in Maine.

The Atlantic Coast’s solely marine monument is as soon as once more open to industrial fishing, a change that might doubtlessly threaten essential fish species and make seabirds extra prone to being hooked or netted. The monument is house to quite a few various fish species of all ages and sizes, a lot of which migrate to coastal waters, benefitting seabirds in and past the monument. Seabirds thrive when there are ample smaller fish to eat—forage fish and/or juvenile fish—and protected areas to forage. A discount in forage fish within the monument would drive seabirds to journey farther and expend extra vitality to seek out their meals and feed their younger. 

Since 1950, 70 percent of seabirds have declined on a worldwide scale from threats as a result of dangerous fishing practices, variable and diminished forage fish populations, contamination, oil spills, habitat disturbance, and extra. Seabirds want areas within the ocean which can be protected against these threats, to allow them to thrive for hundreds of years to return. Rolling again fishing protections within the monument additional threatens seabirds, fairly than serving to restore populations in danger.   

Sustaining protections for this coral habitat far out within the ocean really advantages fishermen as a result of it permits fish populations to thrive, and spill out into areas nearer to the coastal harbors which can be extra simply accessible by boat. Very like nationwide parks and monuments on land, defending some ocean areas from harvest could make wildlife extra considerable in areas the place harvest is allowed.

Moreover, as ocean temperatures improve and the ocean turns into extra acidic, monuments like this one assist preserve considerable marine wildlife populations. For seabirds particularly, altering environmental situations threaten each step of their life cycle—from sea stage rise drowning nesting islands to ocean warming inflicting their prey to maneuver deeper and additional north. Whereas ocean acidification and warming continues to be current inside their boundaries, monuments assist preserve seabird and different wildlife populations by providing a refuge free from different dangerous threats.  

Continued safety of this essential monument will profit seabirds, strengthen industrial fishing, and safeguard its distinctive underwater canyon habitats. Audubon will proceed to offer the science-based information that demonstrates how defending the monument is helpful for the birds and fishermen who depend on this area.