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3. What threats do seabirds face?

**What threats do seabirds face?**  Seabirds are impacted by a variety of human-related activities including **oil spills, fisheries  interactions, contaminants, disturbances, and habitat destruction**. California western gull chicks*In California, frequent human-caused disturbances to seabirds  include low-flying aircraft, close approaches by motorized and  non-motorized boats, humans on foot, and general ocean and coastal users.* In California, for example, nesting and migrant seabird populations are significant  resources with colonies throughout the state. Over  time, these populations have been impacted by a variety of man-made  sources, including oil spills, gill-net and other fisheries, various  contaminants, habitat destruction, introduced predators, and human disturbance. These disturbances can cause nesting seabirds to flee from  and abandon their nests, leaving eggs or chicks exposed to predators, or  causing eggs to fall from the nest. In some cases, disturbances can cause  complete breeding failure of a seabird colony, and ultimately may cause colony  abandonment. These disturbance events can result in a reduction of the  long-term health and survival of affected marine species, and when coupled with  changing oceanic conditions and other human-induced stressors, cumulative small  impacts can impart large-scale harm. The Seabird Protection Network at Gulf of the  Farallones National Marine Sanctuary addresses human disturbance to breeding  seabird colonies along the central California coast. These efforts are  accomplished through an organized outreach and education program combined with  law enforcement and other seabird management actions. Monitoring of California  seabird breeding colonies helps guide outreach, education, and management  efforts of the Network.
 More **Information** Seabird Protection Network Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Office of National Marine Sanctuaries   **Search** Our facts    Get **Social** Social
  **Last updated:** 01/20/23 **Author:** NOAA How to cite this article Contact Us


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