Schaefer et al. (2025)

In 2024, Anne Schaefer, Mary Anne Bishop, and Sarah Hoepfner (Prince William Sound Science Center) conducted at-sea marine bird surveys in Prince William Sound, Alaska to document density and distribution patterns in and around the oil-tanker escort lane during the non-breeding season. 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 a working group within the PSG Aleutian Tern Technical Committee with the coordination and implementation of a statewide Aleutian tern survey in Alaska. This was the second year of a multi-year effort. The 2024 study areas included the Cook Inlet region and the Alaska Peninsula/Bristol Bay region.