Consistent foraging areas and commuting corridors of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus in the northwestern Mediterranean

Rhiannon E Meier,Russell B Wynn,Stephen C Votier,Miguel Mcminn Grivé,Ana Rodríguez,Louise Maurice,E Emiel Van Loon,Alice R Jones,Lavinia Suberg,José Manuel Arcos,Greg Morgan,Simon A Josey,Tim Guilford

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.05.012

Abstract

Unprecedented changes to the marine environment and growth of bio-logging science make detailed study of the movement ecology of threatened marine species timely. Here, we study spatial and temporal patterns of marine space use by a critically endangered seabird: the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. Using a suite of bio-logging systems, 67 foraging trips were recorded during incubation periods between 2011 and 2014 from one of the species’ largest colonies (Sa Cella, Mallorca). Most birds followed narrow flight corridors to restricted neritic foraging grounds on the Iberian continental shelf. Productive foraging areas along the Catalan coast (NE Spain) were consistent across multiple years and between sexes, indicating extensive use of predictable resources. While our study emphasises the vulnerability of this species to anthropogenic activity in nearshore waters, consistent commuting corridors and foraging grounds represent tractable habitat for protection and offer hope for developing area-based management approaches. Preferred foraging areas showed strong overlap with recently declared Special Protection Areas, strengthening the evidence base for targeted management at these sites.

Highlights

Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of marine vertebrates (Croxall et al, 2012; Spatz et al, 2014), and while there have been some successes in protecting terrestrial breeding sites, this group spend the majority of their lives at sea where the level⇑ Corresponding author
Targeted birds were temporarily removed from the nest and GPS loggers were attached to contour feathers on the back using Tesa tape, while geolocators and time–depth recorders (TDRs) were mounted on plastic leg rings attached to the tarsus
Through combined use of multiple tracking systems, our study demonstrates that Balearic shearwaters undertake direct commuting flights from their island colony to spatially restricted neritic foraging areas near the mainland coast

Summary

Introduction

Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of marine vertebrates (Croxall et al, 2012; Spatz et al, 2014), and while there have been some successes in protecting terrestrial breeding sites, this group spend the majority of their lives at sea where the level⇑ Corresponding author. Recent marine conservation measures have largely focused on establishing networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) (Abdulla et al, 2009). While these tools show promise for some taxa (Halpern, 2003; Selig and Bruno, 2010), protection of seabirds and other highly mobile top predators is challenging (Game et al, 2009; Hooker et al, 2011; Ronconi et al, 2012). Movement corridors (e.g. migration or commuting) between key marine habitats are ecologically important, but often overlooked, areas in need of protection (Hooker et al, 2011).

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Conclusion