Satellite Tracking
A project of Pacific Procellariid Research Consortium in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.
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| Trans-Pacific Migration of the Sooty Shearwater: 2006 |
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| Name | Species | Life Stage | Release Date | Last Location | Days Transmitted |
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| 07130 | Sooty Shearwater | n/a | 2006-09-24 | 2006-10-12 | 18 |
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| 07134 | Sooty Shearwater | Sub-Adult to Adult | 2006-09-24 | 2006-11-02 | 39 |
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| 07131 | Sooty Shearwater | Sub-Adult to Adult | 2006-09-24 | 2006-11-11 | 48 |
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| 07133 | Sooty Shearwater | Sub-Adult to Adult | 2006-09-24 | 2006-10-17 | 23 |
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| 07132 | Sooty Shearwater | Sub-Adult to Adult | 2006-09-24 | 2006-10-28 | 34 |
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Click on an animal's name for maps and more information.
Introduction
The goal of this portion of our study (Tracking the movements and migration of Sooty Shearwaters) is to examine the summer-fall movements of Sooty Shearwaters captured in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. At approximately 20 million individuals, the Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus, Family Procellariidae) is one of Earth’s most numerous seabirds. This amazing seabird exists virtually in perpetual spring-summer and completes one of the most extensive annual avian migrations (>28,000 km roundtrip). During April to November, birds depart the southern hemisphere and track high-productivity summer foraging areas in the northern hemisphere including the Japanese to Russian coastal waters, the North Pacific Transition Domain, and the California Current. After molting in July, shearwaters rapidly accumulate fat stores and increase their body mass by ~40% (760 to 1200 g) before initiating trans-Pacific flights to breeding colonies in the southern hemisphere during September to October.
In 2004, during their trans-Pacific migration (http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=46), satellite-tracked shearwaters travelled at about 25 km per hour. Under appropriate wind conditions, shearwaters travel by dynamic soaring—tracing a tilted, sinusoidal path over the waved surface of the ocean. At this rate and travelling along the most direct possible route, a shearwater could leave Monterey Bay (California), traverse the Pacific, and reach New Zealand waters in 16.5 days.
This year, we are watching as five shearwaters captured on 24 September in central Monterey Bay either seek out local foraging hotspots, or initiate the final leg in their annual migration as they return to spring-time foraging areas in the southern Pacific. As this year is forecast to bring El Niño conditions to the Pacific, these tracking data should provide us insight into the affect of changing global ocean wind patterns on the impressive migration of the Sooty Shearwater.
Project Partners
This ongoing study (now in it's 3rd season) is a collaborative effort among scientists from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, the US Geological Survey, Duke Marine Laboratory, Claremont University Consortium, and UC Santa Cruz. Fieldwork in 2006 would not have been possible without the dedicated support provided by numerous colleagues, and students from Moss Landing Marine Labs.
Project Sponsors
This study is supported in part through a Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) grant. For more information about this project and SIMoN, please visit http://www.mbnms-simon.org/other/moreLinks/whats_new_sooty_tagging.php).
- The presentation of data here does not constitute publication. All data remain copyright of the project partners. Maps or data on this website may not be used or referenced without explicit written consent.
- For more information please visit the project website.
- If you have questions or would like to request the use of maps or data for this project please contact jadams@mlml.calstate.edu.
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