Barrow Canyon & Smith Bay


IBA Justification

Year of most recent IBA criteria assessment: 2012

Populations of IBA trigger species
Species Current IUCN Red List Category Season Year(s) of estimate Population at site IBA criteria triggered
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis VU breeding 1974-2009 230,738 individuals A4i
King Eider Somateria spectabilis LC breeding 1974-2009 103,897 individuals A4i
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata LC breeding 1974-2009 459 individuals A4i
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius LC breeding 1974-2009 47,435 individuals A4i
Sabine's Gull Xema sabini LC breeding 1974-2009 10,410 individuals A4i
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla VU breeding 1974-2009 143,905 individuals A4i
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus LC breeding 1974-2009 39,253 individuals A4i
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea LC breeding 1974-2009 50,822 individuals A4i
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus LC breeding 1974-2009 1,382 individuals A4ii

Note: The current IUCN Red List category may differ from the category that was valid at the time of IBA criteria assessment.

For more information about the IBA criteria, please click here


IBA Conservation

IBA conservation status - summary
Year of assessment (most recent) Threat (pressure) Condition (state) Action (response)
2014 very high not assessed low
Was the whole site assessed? yes Condition (state) assessed by unset
Accuracy of information unknown

Threats to the site (pressure)
Threat level 1 Threat level 2 Timing Scope Severity Result
Climate change and severe weather habitat shifting and alteration happening now whole area/population (>90%) slow but significant deterioration high
Energy production and mining oil and gas drilling likely in short term (within 4 years) whole area/population (>90%) very rapid to severe deterioration very high
Human intrusions and disturbance work and other activities likely in short term (within 4 years) some of area/population (10-49%) slow but significant deterioration medium
Pollution industrial & military effluents - type unknown/unrecorded likely in long term (beyond 4 years) some of area/population (10-49%) slow but significant deterioration medium
Transportation and service corridors shipping lanes likely in long term (beyond 4 years) some of area/population (10-49%) slow but significant deterioration medium

Conservation actions taken at the site (response)
Protected-area designation Management planning Other conservation action Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%) No management planning has taken place Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity low
For more information about IBA conservation status, please click here


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barrow Canyon & Smith Bay. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/31050 on 30/05/2023.