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title: "At-sea surveys confirm a North Atlantic biodiversity hotspot for Manx Shearwaters and other seabirds"
---

# At-sea surveys confirm a North Atlantic biodiversity hotspot for Manx Shearwaters and other seabirds

Ashley Bennison ([Coastal & Maritime Research, Environmental Research Institute](http://www.cmrc.ie/coastal-process--seabed-mapping.html), University College Cork, Ireland) and Mark Jessopp have published in the journal *[Bird Study](http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tbis20#.VTvWwq1Viko)** *on seabird observations made in the North Atlantic, including of the Manx Shearwater *Puffinus puffinus* and Arctic or Northern Fulmar *Fulmarus glacialis*. 

 The paper's abstract follows: 

 A number of tracking studies have [sic] shown an area of the North Atlantic, south of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone, to be an important overwintering location for seabirds. We conducted seabird observations along a trans-Atlantic transect from Ireland to Canada in April 2014 to test the hypothesis that seabird species richness and abundance will peak in the area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  At-sea survey results agreed with previous tracking studies, highlighting the importance of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge area for seabirds.

 **Reference: **

 Bennison, A. & Jessopp, M. 2015.  At-sea surveys confirm a North Atlantic biodiversity hotspot. * [Bird Study ](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2015.1011601)*[DOI: 10.1080/00063657.2015.1011601](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2015.1011601).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer 25 April 2015*