The Historical Status of Nesting Seabirds of the 

 Northern and Western Gulf of Alaska 



by 



LeRoy W. Sowl 



U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



1011 East Tudor Road 

 Anchorage, Alaska 99507 



Abstract 



The history of ornithological field work in the Gulf of Alaska dates back to 20 

 July 1741 and Bering's discovery of Alaska. In spite of this long history, the 

 record is fragmentary and often seemingly contradictory. The coming of the 

 tanker terminal at Valdez and the pending development of oil and gas resources 

 on the outer continental shelf threaten massive change for seabirds in the Gulf 

 of Alaska. Often overlooked, however, is the fact that man has already effected a 

 change in status for many of these birds. In this paper I examine the scanty, 

 general record from the exploratory period, roughly 1741 to 1935, and the some- 

 what more comprehensive record of the reconnaissance period, 1936-74, and 

 attempt to develop a basis for better understanding of the change in seabird 

 status that has already taken place. This paper should be treated as a verbal 

 model which can be improved as our knowledge of seabirds in the Gulf of Alaska 

 is expanded. 



From the perspective of history, 1970 

 should prove to have been a momentous year 

 for Alaska and its seabirds. Two events, the 

 construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and 

 the passage of the National Environmental 

 Policy Act (NEPA) merged head on in 1970 

 with the decision that Section 2c of NEPA ap- 

 plied to the proposed pipeline. The systematic 

 appraisal of potential environmental imp'acts 

 required by Section 2c quickly exposed the in- 

 adequacy of the existing data base in many 

 areas. With respect to seabirds in the Gulf of 

 Alaska, it was apparent that there had never 

 been any effort to develop a synthesis of the 

 information accumulated over 230 years. The 

 data gaps which were uncovered were ap- 

 palling. 



While the Trans-Alaska Pipeline impact 

 statement had provided shock therapy, it was 

 not the only influential event on the horizon. 

 Two local disturbances had already preceded 

 the pipeline. These were Project Chariot at 

 Cape Thompson and the Amchitka Island test 



program. Now in quick succession the Wilder- 

 ness Act and native land claims added new 

 urgency to the need for solid resource infor- 

 mation. More recently, the outer continental 

 shelf minerals leasing program has made the 

 quick development of base-line information 

 even more essential. 



All of the new activity in Alaska's coastal 

 waters has the potential to affect seabirds in 

 one way or another. We must remember, how- 

 ever, that man's activities have been affecting 

 seabirds for a long time. We cannot accu- 

 rately assess the effect of a tanker terminal at 

 Valdez or offshore oil activity without first 

 developing some understanding of the current 

 status of seabirds in the context of the histori- 

 cal record. 



Seabird work in Alaska can be divided 

 roughly into three periods. The first is the 

 early historical or exploratory period; it ex- 

 tended from Georg Steller's 1741 visit to 

 Kayak Island to 1935. This was literally a 

 period of exploration and the collection of in- 



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