• Study of productivity and demography in a few carefully selected species to provide basic life table data that will permit rapid identification of future changes.
• A base-line census of some carefully selected breeding colonies, including precise photographic surveys that can be used to measure future population changes.
• Surveys of the distribution of seabirds of the North Pacific and Bering Sea in winter, with special emphasis on areas close to shore where birds may be vulnerable to oil pollution.
• Special studies of endemic species.
• Studies of the way in which seabirds locate and use patchily distributed food resources.
The following conservation measures are suggested:
• Adoption of regulations governing exploitation and transportation of oil which would provide strong incentives for safe performance and severe penalties for safety violations.
• A conservation tax of a few cents per barrel of oil to cover the costs of managing the major seabird colonies and to establish a trust fund for restoring depleted populations.
• Equivalent measures for mining and other exploitative industries in the coastal zone with a prospective impact on marine resources.
• Prohibition of dumping of toxic chemicals in biologically productive waters.