No boats are allowed within 1000 feet of the refuge.[3] Refuge staff and volunteers visit the island to keep track of birds and band juvenile pelicans. An estimated 8-10,000 pelicans used to return to Anaho Island each spring from their winter homes in Southern California and Baja California, Mexico. In 1967, cui-ui, a staple food of the pelican, was declared to be endangered after water diversions affected the fish runs. In 2005, it was reported that the number of pelican nests had dropped dramatically, due to drought.[4]