Our beloved seabirds in Southern California and on the west coast are tough and built to last. But they must have access at the right times and places to the currency of the ocean: forage fish and invertebrates. For over ten years the Audubon network in California and the west coast has been collaborating with top scientists and fighting to protect the forage fish that seabirds depend upon, as well as the spawning and rearing habitats these fish need to thrive.

Anna Weinstein is the Director of Marine Conservation for National Audubon Society and Audubon California. Her lively and interactive talk will describe forage fish for seabirds on the west coast, environmental factors affecting these forage fish populations, how fluctuations in their populations affect seabirds, climate change effects, and how to protect forage fish to ensure a robust food base for our magnificent seabirds. You will learn what YOU can do to protect forage fish and tell others about this fascinating part of the marine ecosystem.

Anna joined Audubon California in 2008 and National Audubon in 2019. She has a B.A. in Biology from Oberlin College and an M.S. in Ecology from the Boston University Marine Program in Woods Hole, MA. Anna co-founded Island Conservation and was an environmental scientist for the San Francisco Estuary Institute. She served as the Northern California Representative for the Pacific Seabird Group and in 2021 she was appointed as Conservation Representative on the Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Panel of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. These days, she enjoys learning Spanish, fishing, and always—slow birding. Grab your oars and join us as we set sail (on Zoom).