Seabirds at sea, december 1987- february 1988 (ship-based observations CVZ/DGW, CVZ/NIOZ, NIOZ)

Offshore observations were made on several trips on the North Sea, ea, most of them being conducted in mainland coastal waters of the southern half, ranging from the English Channel (twice) to Sylt (Denmark) and including the Dogger Bank area. The Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and CvZ/Dienst Getijdewateren (Rijkswaterstaat, DCW) organized trips with MV Holland (Directie Noordzee, Rijswijk), RV Tridens (fishery research vessel Rijksinstituut voor Visserijonderzoek RIVO, UmuidenJ and RV Aurelia (NIOZ). Long journeys, up to Aberdeen and Esbjerg, were done on board of RV Tridens. Fulmars, which had been unusually scarce from September through November 1987, came back in the southern North Sea in December. It has been abundant since that time and could be observed in great numbers in February in tile Dogger Bank area. Coloured specimens were observed regularly in small numbers. Gannets were plentiful too in the Dogger Bank area in February, as they had been in the English Channel in January. All but very few)in aduit plumage. In Dutch coastal waters it was rather scarce, but present, in these months.