"In the past 6 years research effort on the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) has increased in response to an apparent dramatic decline in their numbers on the west coast south of British Columbia (Marshall, 1988, Carter and Erickson 1992, Nelson et al. 1992). Their recent listing as a federally threatened species (Federal Register, Oct. 1992) adds a further imperative to learn more of this birds nesting and at-sea biology, population size, and reproductive parameters so that meaningful management and recovery plans may be developed. This project was initiated to fill a gap in knowledge of abundance, distribution, and at-sea biology of Marbled Murrelets along the Oregon coast." (from the Introduction)