Chapter 1 



Ecology and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet in 

 North America: an Overview 



C. John Ralph 1 



George L. Hunt, Jr. 2 



Martin G. Raphael 3 John F. Piatt 4 



Abstract: Over the past decade, the Marbled Murrelet has become 

 a focus of much controversy. It was listed as threatened in Wash- 

 ington, Oregon, and California by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Sen ice in February 1993. In order to aid the various agencies with 

 management, the Marbled Murrelet Conservation Assessment was 

 formed to bring together scientists, managers, and others to gather 

 all the available data on this small seabird. This volume of research 

 is the culmination of that effort. In this chapter, we integrate the 

 results of the investigations and summaries on the past history, 

 present status, and possible future of the species, based on the data 

 presented in this volume and other published research. We also 

 propose what we consider the most important research needs. 

 Then, based on the findings of this volume, we suggest actions for 

 management to help ensure the survival of the species. 



The recent decline and fragmentation of Marbled Murrelet 

 (Brachyromphus marmoratus) populations in the southern 

 portion of its range (California, Oregon, and Washington) 

 resulted in an awareness that the species was in need of 

 protection or it risked extirpation. In 1982 and 1986, the 

 Pacific Seabird Group developed a set of resolutions that 

 called attention to the Marbled Murrelet and the threats it 

 faced. The Group requested that the appropriate agencies 

 involved in management decisions consider research about 

 the species. The response from the agencies was muted at 

 best. On January 15, 1988, the National Audubon Society 

 petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the 

 California. Oregon, and Washington populations of the species 

 as a threatened species. The Service's 90-day finding stated 

 that the petition had presented substantial information to 

 indicate that the requested action may be warranted. It was 

 published in the Federal Register on October 17, 1988. Because 

 of increased research efforts and the amount of new data 

 available, several public comment periods were opened to 

 receive additional information on the species and the potential 

 threats to it. On the basis of the positive 90-day finding, the 

 Marbled Murrelet was added to the Service's Notice of Review 

 for Vertebrate Wildlife as a Category 2 Species for listing. 



1 Research Wildlife Biologist, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 

 USDA Forest Service. Redwood Sciences Labratory,1700 Bayview Drive, 

 Arcata CA 95521 



: Professor. Department of Ecology 1 and Evolutionary Biology, Univer- 

 sity of California. Irvine, CA 92717 



3 Chief Research Wildlife Biologist. Pacific Northwest Research Sta- 

 tion. USDA Forest Service. 3625 93rd Ave.. Olympia, WA 98512-9193 



* Research Biologist. Alaska Science Center, U.S. Department of the 

 Interior, National Biological Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage. 

 AK 99503 



In 1990, the Marbled Murrelet was proposed as a 

 threatened species by the British Columbia Ministry of 

 Environment, Lands, and Parks to the Committee on the 

 Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The species was 

 designated as nationally threatened in June 1990. A recovery 

 team was established in September of that year and was 

 unique to Canada because it included representatives of both 

 the federal and provincial governments, the forest industry, 

 environmental non-governmental organizations, and 

 academia. The species was listed as threatened mainly because 

 of loss of nesting habitat, but also because of fishing-net 

 mortality and the threat of oil spills. 



In 1991, the State of California listed the species as 

 endangered because of the loss of older forests. On June 20, 

 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed 

 rule in the Federal Register to designate it as a threatened 

 species in Washington, Oregon, and California. The main 

 reason for listing was the loss of older forest nesting habitat. 

 Secondary threats included loss due to net fisheries and the 

 potential threat of oil spills. In July 1992, the U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service published another notice in the Federal 

 Register announcing a 6-month extension for determining 

 the status of Marbled Murrelets. However, the Service was 

 taken to court for not meeting the legal time frames provided 

 for in the Endangered Species Act and, in September 1992, 

 published a final rule in the Federal Register, listing the 

 Marbled Murrelet as a threatened species in the three States. 

 A recovery team was established in February 1993 and is 

 now in the final stages of a recovery plan for the three-State 

 area (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in press). 



The State of Washington is now reviewing a recommen- 

 dation to classify the Marbled Murrelet as a threatened species. 

 To date, the Marbled Murrelet has not been recommended 

 for listing in Oregon. 



This chapter reviews the results of published research 

 and new investigations presented in this volume, discusses 

 the likely future of the species and its habitat in North 

 America, and outlines the actions considered necessary to 

 maintain viable populations. 



Background and Assessment of 

 Available Information 



Distribution and Habitat 



Summary Marbled Murrelets in North America occur 

 from the Bering Sea to central California. During the breeding 

 season, the majority of murrelets are found offshore of late 

 successional and old-growth forests, located mostly within 60 



USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-152. 1995. 



