Low Seabird Densities in the Pelagic Environment of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia
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1977-07
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University of Hawaii Press
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Abstract
Seabird surveys in the pelagic environment of the Strait of
Georgia, British Columbia, indicated an exceptionally low annual average
density of 3.16 seabirds per km2 when compared to similar estimates of seabird
densities in other south coastal British Columbia waters. In spite of a wide
(20-km) pelagic zone the avifauna lacked most of the open ocean species and
in fact was typical of the inshore protected waters of British Columbia. Two
possible explanations were considered. First, though the biological productivity
of the study area is not low the apparent absence of suitable foods,
particularly adult Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasii (Valenciennes), may
explain the low seabird numbers. Second, the discharge of the Fraser River
which creates a highly turbid layer of surface water may seriously limit the
effectiveness of visual predators.
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Robertson I. 1977. Low seabird densities in the pelagic environment of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Pac Sci 31(3): 279-283.
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