The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge monitors and tracks seabirds. Reproductive performance is just one of many seabird metrics tracked at the Refuge. Where possible, they also track breeding chronology, population trends, food habits, survival and chick growth for nearly 20 species. Even just reproductive performance can be separated into lots of parameters: clutch size, laying success, hatching success, fledging success, and overall productivity. Their annual report card includes species that have the most comprehensive coverage across sites. Detailed data from each site are available in comprehensive reports for each island. Overall, 2025 was a good year for breeding success of seabirds across Alaska, with only a few exceptions (e.g., tufted puffins at Buldir failed to fledge any chicks at all). Of note, at least three episodes of toxic algal blooms in late summer at Kachemak Bay, St. George Island, and Nikolski Island affected parts of the marine food web and may be a troubling sign for marine ecosystems during warm sea temperature episodes.
Click here to see the Alaska Maritime NWR’s 2025 Seabird Report Card. This graphic gives you a quick snapshot of reproductive performance relative to the long-term average at each monitoring site.