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Volunteer Corner

In 1997, we began a beach survey program called Coastal Ocean Mammal and Bird Education and Research Surveys (Beach COMBERS) using trained volunteers to survey beached marine birds and mammals monthly at selected sections of beaches throughout the Monterey Bay area. The program is a collaborative project between Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), and other state and research institutions including the California Department of Fish and Game and Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center (MWVCRC), with the specific goal of using deposition of beach cast carcasses as an index of the health of the sanctuary.

As of December 2004, we have more than 70 volunteers (each of whom received at least 20 hours of training) that survey 45 km of beaches in the MBNMS. This program has been greatly successful, providing data for a number of scientific papers, contributing to the conservation of sanctuary resources (e.g. data from Beach COMBERS indicated the gillnet fishery was killing large numbers of nearshore species; Forney et al. 2001), identifying and quantifying oiled wildlife, and a great many more accomplishments.

Project Objectives

• Obtain baseline information on rates of deposition of beachcast birds and mammals: Trained volunteers identify and quantify all dead birds and mammals on sandy beaches along the central California coastline, between San Mateo/Santa Cruz County line and Cambria. Beach surveys are conducted monthly at most locations and 2-4 times per month at selected beaches. These data provide a baseline for deposition rates in the MBNMS during all seasons.
• Assess causes of seabird and marine mammal mortality: Volunteers note the cause of death (e.g. presence of oil or entanglement in fishing line) for each organism found. When possible, fresh specimens are collected for post-mortem examination by a veterinary pathologist from CDFG/OSPR Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center.
• Assess abundance of tar balls on beaches: The abundance of tar balls on beaches is determined and used as an indicator of amount of chronic or low-level oil deposition. In the case of large deposition of oil, volunteers will be trained in the proper procedure for sample collection and storage. These samples will be used to determine the source of the oil (e.g. natural seeps or vessel traffic).
• Assist resource management agencies in early detection of mortality events, both natural and anthropogenic: Beach COMBERS consist of scientists, resource managers, and citizens that have formed a well-connected group. This allows the quick accumulation of information about the resources of the MBNMS into a centralized location, and the rapid dissemination of information to the management and enforcement agencies (e.g. MBNMS, CDFG, NMFS).
• Build a network of interacting citizens, scientists, and resource managers: Frequent interactions in training sessions, enrichment events, and local meetings, provide a mechanism for scientists, citizens, and managers in the Beach COMBERS program to transfer information and awareness of resource management and policy.
• Disseminate information to the public and educational institutions: Data from the Beach COMBERS program will be provided to the public and schools via Ecosystem Observations, the web pages of the MBNMS and MLML, a GIS-based webpage, scientific meetings, teacher education classes (MLML), and interactions with the public on the beaches.