Should a bird organization be concerned over fish? Most definitely in a state with over 2600 miles of coastline, including the Great Lakes. The great variety and numbers of seabirds found in New York and offshore areas can in some seasons constitute the majority of the state's birds. And these terns, gulls, petrels, sea ducks, and others depend for sustenance on a food chain that includes aquatic invertebrates and forage fish.

Many of these bird species are considered in crisis, in part due to lack of food. According to the National Audubon Society, "Forage fish, including dozens of species of herring, anchovy, squid, and some small crustaceans, serve as the primary food source for many seabird species. Forage fish are not yet included in federal fisheries management, leaving them vulnerable to overfishing throughout the country."
 
In October, the Forage Fish Conservation Act was introduced in Congress. This legislation would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law that governs ocean fish management in U.S. federal waters, to recognize the important role that forage fish play in the ecosystem for seabirds, larger fish, and other marine life.
 
The Forage Fish Conservation Act would create a needed nationwide definition of forage fish. It would also require that the needs of seabirds and other wildlife that depend on this resource are accounted for when determining catch limits for both species that are already being fished and those that may be fished in the future.

Many threats remain for seabirds, including entanglement in fishing nets, climate change, plastic pollution, and more. Providing an adequate food supply at least gives them a chance, and should be factored into fish management decisions.

What you can do—Contact your US Representative and Senators and ask them to support the Forage Fish Conservation Act and companion legislation in the Senate. Both bills have bipartisan sponsorship, so passage is at least a possibility with enough public interest and pressure.