Although islands in the Western Aleutian Chain are
known to support some of the highest densities of seabirds in the world, their isolation
has limited systematic research on these colonies. Kasatochi, Koniuji, and Ulak islands,
in the central Aleutian Islands, together comprise one of 9 ecological sites monitored
annually since 1996 by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR). To supplement
annual colony monitoring and examine seabird distribution away from colony sites, the
AMNWR in conjunction with U.S. Geological Service (USGS) researchers conducted a pelagic
survey of the waters around these 3 islands in 1996. This initial survey provided data on
seabird distributions and their relationship to environmental conditions and forage fish
distributions.
For an example of Crested Auklet distributions in this area click on the thumbnails
below.
