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Recovery Plan for the Marbled Murrelet (Washington, Oregon, and California Populations) for a 60-Day Public Comment Period, Ending on October 10, 1995 (60 FR 40851)

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Recovery Plan for the Marbled Murrelet (Washington, Oregon, and California Populations) for a 60-Day Public Comment Period, Ending on October 10, 1995 (60 FR 40851) RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE MARBLED MURRELET (Washington, and California Populations) Region 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland, Oregon RECOVERY PLAN for the THREATENED MARBLED MURRELET (Brachyramph us marmoratus) in WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND CALIFORNIA Published by Region 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland, Oregon Approved: Date: A5 the Nation ~ principal conservation agency, die Department of die Interior has responsiAility form ost of our nationally own edpuAlic lands and natural resources. Thi5 includes fostering die wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fi5h and wildlife, preserving die environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for die enjoyment oflife through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the Lest interests ofall our people. The Department also has a major responsiLility for American Indian reservation communities and for people ~h0 live in island Territories under US. administration. DISCLAIMER Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions required to recover andlor protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), sometimes prepared with the assistance ofrecovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and other affected and interested parties. Recovery teams serve as independent advisors to the Service. Objectives ofthe plan will be attained and any necessary funds made available, subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery plans do not obligate other parties to undertake specific tasks and may not represent the views nor the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the Service. They represent the official position of the Service only after they have been signed by the Regional Director or Director as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion ofrecovery tasks. Literature citations should read: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1997. Recovery Plan for the Threatened Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Washington, Oregon, and California. Portland, Oregon. 203 pp. Additional copies may be purchased from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110 Bethesda, Maryland 20814 301/492-3421 or 1-800-582-3421 i Marbled Murrelet Recovery Plan September 1997 MARBLED MURRELET RECOVERY TEAM This Recovery Plan was prepared by the Marbled Murrelet Recovery Team: Gary S. Miller, Team Leader Oregon State Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland, Oregon Dr. Steven R. Beissinger Division of Ecosystem Sciences University of California Berkeley, California Harry R. Carter Biological Resources Division U. S. Geological Survey California Science Center Dixon, California Dr. Blair Csuti Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho Thomas E. Hamer Hamer Environmental Mt. Vernon, Washington Dr. David A. Perry Forest Sciences Department Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon ii MarbledMurrelet RecoveryPlan September 1997 PREFACE The Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon, established the Marbled Murrelet Recovery Team in February 1993. The Team’s direction was to develop this Marbled Murrelet Recovery Plan and assist in determining critical habitat for marbled murrelets. Affected Federal and state agencies were requested to provide nominations for participation on the Team as consultants. Agency participation was integral to the discussions of available information and development of this recovery plan. Based on work done by the Recovery Team and comments from the public, critical habitat was designated for the marbled murrelet on May 24, 1996. iii Marbled Murrelet Recovery Plan September 1997 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As consultants to the Team, the following individuals attended Recovery Team meetings, participated in the discussions and contributed to sections ofthis draft plan: Paula Burgess (Oregon Governor’s Natural Resources Advisor), Esther Burkett (California Department ofFish and Game), Wayne Logan (Bureau of Land Management), Sarah Madsen (U.S. Forest Service), Carolyn Meyer (National Park Service), and Dave Renwald (Bureau ofIndian Affairs). Their assistance in the recovery planning process, written portions ofthe plan, and review ofthis document were integral to producing a completed recovery plan. The Oregon Dept. ofForestry and Oregon Dept. ofFish and Wildlife, through the Oregon Governor’s Forest Planning Team, also provided constructive comments on various drafts of the plan. The plan has also benefitted from the insights of, and many discussions with, numerous U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists, especially Paul Henson. A special thanks to S. Kim Nelson (Oregon Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit) for all ofher discussions, written documents, and sharing ofknowledge of the species with the Team and to C.J. Ralph (U.S. Forest Service) for providing input while overseeing preparation ofthe Conservation Assessment for the marbled murrelet. Nadav Nur (Point Reyes Bird Observatory) provided valuable input on alcid demographics for Appendix B. We also appreciate the efforts of C.J. Ralph and Lloyd Tangen and Lee Folliard (Arcata Redwood Company) in providing facilities and a field tour ofmarbled murrelet habitat in northern California. G.J. McChesney and M. Casazza (U.S. Geological Survey) and Larry Reigel (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) assisted with several ofthe figure preparations. The cover and section divider illustration was drawn by John Megahan, and the marbled murrelet photographs (Figures 3 and 4) were taken by Gus van Vliet (Alaska Department ofEnvironmental Conservation). iv MarbledMurrelet Recovery Plan September 1997 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Status: Marbled murrelets range along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California; the southern end of the breeding range is in central California. Their at-sea distribution becomes more discontinuous in California. Some wintering birds are found in southern California and as far south as northern Baja California, Mexico. Nesting behavior has been documented beyond 80 kilometers (50 miles) inland, though most nesting habitat likely occurs within 80 kilometers (50 miles) ofshore throughout the breeding range. Currently, breeding populations are not distributed continuously throughout the forested portion of Washington, Oregon, and California (Pacific Northwest). Due to the substantial loss and modification of nesting habitat (older forest) and mortality from net fisheries and oil spills, the Washington, Oregon, and California vertebrate population segment was federally listed as threatened in September 1992. Critical habitat was designated for the species in May 1996. It is listed as endangered by California and as threatened in Washington and Oregon. It also is federally listed as threatened in Canada. Habitat Requirements and Limiting Factors: Marbled murrelets use forests that primarily include typical old-growth forests (characterized by large trees, a multistoried stand, and moderate to high canopy closure), but also use mature forests with an old-growth component. Trees must have large branches or deformities for nest platforms, with the occurrence ofsuitable platforms being more important than tree size alone. Throughout the Pacific Northwest the amount ofolder forests have decreased substantially due to timber harvest, fires, and windthrow. The earliest possible recovery time for nesting habitat, once lost, is generally 100—200 years. Specific nesting habitat requirements and life-history strategy, a low reproductive rate, a low current breeding success and recruitment rate (based on juvenile:adult ratios) are likely to yield a decreasing population, which cannot easily recover should numbers be further depleted by additional catastrophic events. Because marbled murrelets feed primarily on fish and invertebrates in nearshore marine waters, they require nearshore marine habitats with sufficient prey resources. Recovery Priority: 3 (indicating a subspecies with a high degree of threat and high recovery potential). v MarbledMurrelet Recovery Plan September 1997 Recovery Objective: The interim objective of this recovery plan is to stabilize population size at or near current levels by (1) maintaining and/or increasing productivity of the population as reflected by changes in total population size, the adult:juvenile ratio, and nesting success by maintaining and/or increasing marine and terrestrial habitat and by (2) removing and/or minimizing threats to survivorship, including mortality from gill-net fisheries and oil spills. Delisting Criteria: Specific delisting criteria can be developed when completion of some recovery tasks provides necessary information about marbled murrelets and their biological requirements. Interim delisting criteria include: (1) Trends in estimated population size, densities and productivity have been stable or increasing in four of the six zones over a 10-year period, which should encompass at least one to two El Niflo events. (2) Management commitments, including protection and monitoring in marine and terrestrial habitats, have been implemented to provide adequate protection of marbled murrelets in the six Marbled Murrelet Conservation Zones for at least the near future (50
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