Home : Seanet : Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEANET)

SEANET brings together interdisciplinary researchers and citizen scientists in a long-term collaborative effort to identify and mitigate threats to marine birds throughout the Atlantic coast of North America.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST NEWS (including the 2007 Volunteer Newsletter!)

In the fall of 2002, Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine (Tufts CCM) / Wildlife Clinic established SEANET. A network of over 60 seabird and ecological health organizations from Canada to New Jersey has been established. ‘Citizen-scientist' beached bird surveys are ongoing, with over 300 volunteers collecting data on seabird mortality during monthly or more frequent beach walks. Data on marine and coastal bird population distribution, ocean contamination, and coastal land use are being collected for a GIS-based repository.

Interested in volunteering?

Click the chick!

shearwater small

Seabirds are very conspicuous organisms in marine ecosystems, and are frequently used as indicators of marine oil pollution, among other threats. A primary reason for the formation of SEANET was the lack of organized reporting of marine bird mortality events in the northeast, as exists for marine mammals and sea turtles. Numerous threats contribute to mortality, including disease, fisheries operations, development, organic pollutants, heavy metals, and oil pollution. SEANET serves as an educational vehicle and catalyst for involvement of citizen scientists.

Some key SEANET partners:

Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Population and Environmental Health
Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine
Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building
200 Westboro Rd., North Grafton, MA 01536
Phone: 508-887-4789 Fax: 508-839-7946

TCSVM: Home Page
DEPH: Home Page
CCM: Home Page
Contact: WebDesigner@TuftsCCM
Copyright © 2001 Tufts University