Whale populations recovering from historical whaling are particularly vulnerable to incidental mortality and disturbance caused by growing ocean industrialization. Several distinct populations of rorqual whales (including humpback, blue, and fin whales) migrate and feed off the coast of Oregon, USA where spatial overlap with human activities are on the rise. Effective mitigation of conflicts requires better foundational understanding of spatial and temporal habitat use patterns to inform conservation management. Based on a year-round, multi-platform distance sampling dataset (2016-2021, 177 survey days, 754 groups observed), this study generated density models to describe and predict seasonal distribution of rorqual whales in Oregon. Phenology analysis of sightings revealed a peak of humpback whale and blue whale density over the Oregon continental shelf in August and September respectively, and higher fin whale density in the winter (December). Additionally, we compared rorqual sighti
With accelerating climate variability and change, novel approaches are needed to warn managers of changing ecosystem state and to identify appropriate management actions. One strategy is using indicator species - like seabirds as ecosystem sentinels - to monitor changes in marine environments. Here, we explore the utility of western gullsbreeding on Southeast Farallon Island as a proxy of ecosystem state in coastal California by investigating the interannual variability in gull foraging behavior from 2013-19 in relation to upwelling conditions, prey abundances, and overlap with humpback whales as gulls frequently feed in association with whales. Western gulls have a flexible diet and forage on land and at-sea. We combined gull GPS tracking data during the incubation phase, ecosystem survey data on multiple predator and prey species, and derived oceanographic upwelling products. When foraging at sea, gulls overlapped with cool upwelled waters. During 2015-17, 25% more gull foraging trip