The
Surfbird has a relatively small population (50,000–100,000 birds), > 75%
of which breeds in Alaska (Senner and McCaffery
1997). More importantly, most Alaska breeding birds concentrate for a few
weeks each spring on traditional areas of Prince William Sound, particularly at
Montague Island (Senner and McCaffery 1997, Bishop and Green 2001). Several of the
areas used by Surfbirds in the sound were affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. There remains a high probability that other such events will occur
in the sound and/or elsewhere in the Gulf of Alaska as long as the production
and transportation of petroleum products continues in this region.
