Schaefer (2024)

In 2023 Anne Schaefer and Mary Anne Bishop (Prince William Sound Science Center) conducted at-sea marine bird surveys in Prince William Sound to document density and distribution patterns in and around the oil-tanker escort lane during the non-breeding season. This was the third annual survey conducted for this study, and a final survey planned for 2024. Schaefer also led at-sea marine bird surveys in eastern Prince William Sound to examine marine bird density and distribution relative to mariculture (seaweed and oyster) development. These surveys are a component of a larger collaborative research and monitoring program studying the impact of mariculture farms on the environment and identifying environmental drivers of farm productivity. Additionally, Schaefer assisted the PSG Aleutian Tern Technical Committee with the coordination and implementation of a statewide Aleutian tern (Onychoprion aleuticus) survey in Alaska. This was the first year of a multi-year effort, and the study area extended along the eastern Gulf of Alaska coastline from Glacier Bay to Prince William Sound.