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Photos courtesy of Scott Pearson

February 4 roundtable: A Tale of Three Auks

Co-hosted with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

The Salish Sea Science Roundtable online speaker series continues on Tuesday, February 4 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm.

The Tufted Puffin, Marbled Murrelet and Rhinoceros Auklet are all in the same family (Alcidae), but show different seasonal dependencies on the Salish Sea. In addition, their nesting strategies differ and their diets overlap only somewhat. Scott Pearson from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife will use data from at-sea surveys and nesting colony-based studies to compare and contrast these three alcids, showing how their differences manifest in diverging population trends, and providing an overview of their status in the region with insights into potential population threats.

Roundtables occur virtually on the first Tuesday of each month as a way to share emerging science that is shaping Salish Sea ecosystem recovery.