Turn Off Lights at Night
When seabird fledglings leave their nests after dark, they are guided by the light of the moon out to sea.
By eliminating stray light, you help reduce the number of young birds that get confused by artificial light and fall to the ground, rather than continuing out to the open ocean.
Click here for an informative graphic about seabird-friendly lighting.
Watch for Grounded Seabirds
If you find a grounded bird, gently pick it up from behind with a towel, carefully wrapping the bird completely around its back, wings, and head. Watch the beak! It can be sharp and powerful. Place it in a ventitlated container in a quiet, shaded or cool location until you can bring it to a permitted rehabilitation center.
Keep Pets on Leashes
Seabirds such as shearwaters and petrels make their nests in burrows in the ground. Off-leash dogs and free-roaming cats can easily disturb, injure, or kill nesting seabirds. Having your pet on a leash keeps both the birds and your pets safe.
Disposing of trash in proper containers helps prevent waste from entering the ocean. Recycle or dispose of monofilaments (such as fishing line) in designated disposal area or tightly closed containers.
Properly Dispose of Trash
Pieces of plastic have been found in the stomachs of nearly all seabird species. Not only do these animals mistake plastic for food, but seabirds and marine mammals get tangled or injured by plastic debris in the ocean. By refusing plastic utensils and straws at restaurants or bringing your own to-go containers, you can help prevent plastic waste from ending up in the ocean.
Reduce Plastic Use
Ethical Seafood Consumption
The use of longlines (which can be cast over 50 miles), gillnets, and bottom trawls are practices that catches and kills hundred of thousands of marine wildlife accidentally each year. According to Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website, "as many as 200,000 loggerhead sea turtles and 50,000 leatherback sea turtles are caught annually." In order to combat this issue, support restaurants or companies that use sustainable fishing methods. Use Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program to help eat seafood that has less of an impact on the environment.