Protecting Our Precious Terns: A Call to Action for Mission Bay

July 17, 2024

Protecting Our Precious Terns: A Call to Action for Mission Bay

bySavannah Stallings

Terns flying around West Ski Island in Mission Bay, San Diego

We are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon on West Ski Island in Mission Bay. In addition to the four protected nesting sites for California Least Tern (CLTE) (Mariner’s Point, FAA Island, Stony Point, and North Fiesta Island), West Ski Island is now an established seabird breeding colony for larids since 2020. The Federally and State Endangered California Least Tern (CLTE) and 16,000+ breeding larids including Elegant Tern, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Forster’s Tern, Western Gull and Black Skimmer have been nesting on the island, and are hard at work protecting nests and raising young.

We are fortunate that almost all the unique assemblage of tern species found in San Diego have selected Mission Bay as an appropriate location to nest, as this incredible spectacle of many thousands of terns has become a local marvel with many San Diegans reporting overall enjoyment and intrigue with this spectacle to San Diego Audubon Society (SDAS) in the past couple of months.

However, these birds are facing significant disturbances from boating and fireworks - throughout the nesting season, leading to dead adult terns, chicks, and eggs washing up along the shores of Kendall Frost Marsh, and this island is set to have over 2000 young fledglings taking flight for the first time over the next days and weeks.

The San Diego Audubon Society is deeply concerned about the impact of these disturbances on the terns and other nesting seabirds. We are calling on the City of San Diego and California Coastal Commission to take immediate action to protect these vulnerable birds.

Take Action with Us

Previously, we shared the tragic news of the impact fireworks and boaters had on our nesting terns, resulting in dead Tern eggs, chicks, and adults washing up on shore. The situation is dire, and we need your support to protect these precious birds.

Sign this petition we created to call on the City of San Diego to protect nesting seabirds in Mission Bay, so we can show the City that you care about these inhabitants.

Join us at 1PM this Thursday, July 18th for the City of San Diego’s Environment Committee meeting as we highlight this critical issue, and demand they take action. Together, we can advocate for the necessary protections and ensure a safe nesting season for our seabirds.

The Environment Committee meeting is available via webinar, or in person

and non-agenda public comment can be given via zoom or in person at the beginning of the meeting. See our talking points document here, or read below to craft your public comment.

Amend the LCP Allowing Fireworks to Protect Seabirds

We are asking the City of San Diego to amend the Local Coastal Permit (LCP) that allows SeaWorld to set off fireworks for the remainder of the nightly shows planned through August 11th and on August 31st. The disturbances caused by these fireworks are having a devastating impact on the nesting seabirds in Mission Bay. The city must also review the issue of permitting any future fireworks, raised by community members earlier this year. The immediate damage fireworks are inflicting on valuable habitats and nesting birds is unacceptable, andIt is also a violation of the State California Fish and Game Code (FGC) § 3503 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 16 U.S.C. 703-712 due to the disturbance to breeding birds that are tending nests.

Establishing Protective Buffers

A 2011 review of human disturbance impacts on waterbirds recommends that “Strategies, such as establishing set-back distances of 250 m from waterfowl, diving ducks, wading birds, and shorebirds may lessen the impacts to the most sensitive species.” While we encourage the City to protect this colony as much as possible, there is a 500 ft buffer from California Least Tern colonies established at Mariner's Point and at a minimum, the City should establish a 500 ft buffer around West Ski Island while seabirds are nesting on this island.

Postponing San Diego Bayfair

This year, for the first time in at least 5 years, the San Diego Bayfair is planned for September 13th to 15th during the breeding season of CLTE and will coincide with Black Skimmer breeding season that extends into mid-October. We are concerned that the disturbance from recreation events will have negative consequences for breeding birds if there is an overlap with critical stages of development.

Major events like San Diego Bayfair with 75 vessels and 50 crafts ranging from hydroplanes, drag boats, water bikes, jet skis to 100 spectator craft over three days on Mission Bay in a boat racing competition with the world’s fastest powerboats cannot occur during the CLTE nesting season closure and need an environmental impact analysis to be completed prior to permitting. Motorized boats at high speeds cause birds to flush sooner across all studies which is energy expensive, can cause nest abandonment, and can result in mortality of unattended eggs and chicks.

We strongly urge the City of San Diego to postpone the upcoming San Diego Bayfair planned for September 13-15, 2024. This event coincides with the breeding season of the California Least Tern, which runs from April 15th to September 15th. The event should not be rescheduled until a proper environmental review of the impact on nesting birds and sensitive habitats in Mission Bay is completed.

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