The Future of Oceans Lecture Series: Puffins - Beloved Sentinels of Ocean Health скачать в хорошем качестве

The Future of Oceans Lecture Series: Puffins - Beloved Sentinels of Ocean Health

On January 18, 2026, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center welcomed John Piatt, Ph.D. for a Future of Oceans lecture presentation. “Puffins: Beloved Sentinels of Ocean Health” Who doesn’t love Puffins? With their brightly colored parrot-bills, tuxedo plumage, and upright waddle-walk, these iconic seabirds are cherished around the world. Not only are plush toy Puffins found in gift shops everywhere, but their chubby images may also be found on national coins, banknotes and stamps in dozens of countries. Also known as “clowns of the sea”, public lore suggests they live a care-free life of little hobbits in their burrows on idyllic grassy offshore islands. However, the reality is that puffins are athletic, resilient, and voracious marine predators living in an extreme environment for birds. Agile and fast aerial flyers, they also “fly” under water to great depths in pursuit of schooling prey. In this presentation, you will find out why puffins are among the most successful seabird species breeding in the Northern Hemisphere, and how they thrive in remote ocean wildernesses. You will also learn about their “Achilles heel” (greatest weakness), and what is currently the greatest threat to their survival. John Piatt got hooked on seabirds in Newfoundland, Canada, where he spent many summers in his youth working at seabird colonies along the coast and surveying seabirds and whales at sea on the Grand Banks and Labrador Sea. John went on to study ecological relationships between forage fish and their predators (such as cod, puffins and whales) for his doctorate and was then hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska to study seabirds in the northern Bering Sea. That turned into a 37-year stint working as a research scientist for the U.S. Department of the Interior. During this time, he explored much of Alaska’s coast and continental shelf, working on dozens of seabird colonies along the way. Findings from his research made its way into 350+ published papers and agency reports written by John and collaborators from around the world. John has also served as a journal editor, graduate student advisor, affiliate professor at universities in the U.S. and Canada, and on a variety of science advisory panels. John retired in 2024 from public service and is now director of the World Puffin Congress, a non-profit ocean education organization based in Port Townsend. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center's Future of Oceans lecture series draws on the commitment of professional researchers and educators across all academic spectrums to help define and inspire the health of our oceans. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center is grateful to the Darrow family for their ongoing support of the lecture series. If you'd like to learn more about the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and our mission of inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea, visit us at our website or on Facebook and Instagram. https://ptmsc.org/ / porttownsendmarinesciencecenter / ptmarinescictr