Social and Economic Values of Marine Birds 



by 



David R. Cline 1 and Cynthia Wentworth 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 Anchorage, Alaska 



and 

 Thomas W. Barry 



Canadian Wildlife Service 

 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 



Abstract 



Throughout history, marine birds have provided tangible and intangible bene- 

 fits to human societies. Unregulated exploitation of some species by explorers, 

 mariners, and colonists led to the extinction of the great auk (Pinguinus im- 

 pennis) and near extinction of others, including the Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma 

 cahow) and the North Pacific albatrosses (Diomedea spp.). Marine birds continue 

 to provide commercial, subsistence, recreational, scientific, and educational 

 values to people of many nations, while playing critical roles in the economies of 

 the world's oceans. 



Annual harvest of slender-billed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) known as 

 "muttonbirds" in Australia, sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) eggs in the Caribbean, 

 murres (Uria spp.) and eiders (Somateria spp.) in Greenland and the Soviet 

 Union, and guano in Peru and Africa represent the principal commercial uses of 

 marine birds and their products. Residents of the Faeroes Islands and thousands 

 of native people in Greenland and arctic Canada and Alaska use various species 

 for subsistence. The annual rituals of bird hunting and egg gathering are deeply 

 ingrained in the sociocultural traditions of these peoples and continue to be 

 important to their social welfare. 



Most countries of the world are currently providing at least some protection to 

 their marine bird resources. However, the destruction of bird habitats by man's 

 developments and the contamination of marine environments by industrial pol- 

 lutants are posing increasingly serious threats to many species. If managed and 

 used in accordance with scientific principles of sustained yield, some of the more 

 abundant species of marine birds can continue to provide long-term social and 

 economic benefits to man. 



Increasing numbers of people are expending considerable sums of money to 

 reach marine bird viewing areas off the coasts of North American States and 

 Provinces. Preliminary evidence indicates such nonconsumptive pursuits are 

 contributing significant amounts of money to regional economies and helping 

 businessmen earn a living. An accurate evaluation of both biological and eco- 

 nomic impacts resulting from these nonconsumptive activities is urgently 

 needed. 



The possibility of establishing an excise tax on designated outdoor recreational 

 equipment appears to hold considerable potential for more adequately funding 

 marine bird programs, as well as those for other nongame wildlife. 



Greater citizen involvement in sociopolitical processes will, to a large extent, 

 determine the success of marine bird conservation programs. Sound conserva- 

 tion legislation that insures adequate protection of habitat and provides for en- 

 lightened and innovative thrusts in conservation, education, research, manage- 

 ment, and law enforcement will help insure the survival of all species of marine 

 birds and, in turn, provide social and economic benefits to people across 

 generations. 



'Present address: National Audubon Society, 2 Marine Way, Juneau, Alaska 

 99801. 



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