Since mid-October, hundreds of dead seabirds have washed ashore St. Paul Island, #Alaska, in the Bering Sea. Most of the carcasses being found are tufted puffins, although horned puffins, murres, and crested auklets have washed ashore as well. What's going on?
USGS scientists found that these fish-eating puffins were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation. Starvation could be related to a lack of prey or changes in prey distribution as a result of abnormal sea temperatures.
The #USGS is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, COASST (Coastal Observation And Seabird Survey Team), Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Official to determine the full extent of the die-off.
Read more at http://on.doi.gov/2h2aMWT.
Image: A tufted puffin, the species most affected by the die-off. (Sarah Schoen, USGS)
#science #seabirds #puffins
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