Protect Seabirds in the Caribbean

I wanted to share with you some exciting developments regarding Caribbean seabird conservation.

In the first study of its kind, stakeholders such as fishermen were surveyed about their economic and environmental connection with seabirds. Here are some of the surprising findings:

• Over half (67%) reported eating seabird eggs
• Almost half (47%) reported eating seabird chicks or adults.
• Seabird harvest was not very important for making a living for most people, with few describing the practice as "somewhat important" (10%) or very important (4%).
• Most people collect less than 100 eggs per year but some collect over 500.

Okay, so what do all these numbers mean? Well, even though seabirds and their eggs are a popular dish, people are generally not relying on seabird harvests for their livelihoods. Since there isn't a major financial incentive to keep harvesting seabirds, communities can be involved in conserving seabirds without losing income. And many fishermen reported that seabirds help them to find fish, so there is incentive to have more of the birds around as "fish finders".

In fact, at meetings where the research results were reported back to the community, it was clear that many individuals want to be involved in seabird conservation. This was great news for our volunteer warden program, which will be starting in April.

In April we will also begin surveys for rats on some of the most important seabird nesting islands. And once the birds show up in force in May, we will be studying how successful their nests are and figure out if the population can handle the impacts of harvesting and/or rats and other predators.

We look forward to sharing the results of this work with you and thank you for making all of this possible! We still have a little ways to go in reaching our financial goal for the coming field season and welcome your contribution.

"How many seabird eggs would you estimate you collect in a year?" This was one of the various questions posed by a team of researchers from the countries of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who visited nearby fishing villages this month.

The organization SusGren, with support from BirdsCaribbean, has partnered with EPIC to lead a very important study on the economic and cultural value of seabirds and their eggs to fishermen and others who harvest wildlife.

There was a wide range of responses to the various questions asked during the survey. Some respondents described how good seabirds taste and how many had been harvested while others appreciated efforts to protect seabirds because they follow the birds to find good fishing spots. Data from this research is currently being analyzed and we look forward to sharing the final results of this groundbreaking study.

Our research and conservation efforts will be guided by scientific inquiry such as this economic survey to ensure that all aspects of the issue of seabird harvesting are considered.

You'll find the greatest number of Caribbean seabirds nesting during the summer months, when birds like gulls and terns migrate back to their offshore island colonies. This will be the project's main period for training residents in monitoring and outreach efforts as we work to protect offshore refuges, some of the last remaining nesting areas for many species. We are already identifying partners in the region who will take on the role of volunteer wardens and can't wait to get started!

Your support for Caribbean seabird conservation makes it possible for activities such as this to continue. We hope you share our excitement about this most recent work as well as all that will be accomplished in the coming year. From EPIC and from the birds....thank you for showing you care for seabirds and their island refuges.