Beauchêne Island hosts the world’s second largest colony of Black-browed Albatrosses, photograph by Anton Wolfaardt

Evidence of repeated unusual mortality events affecting Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris have been reported from Beauchêne Island, part of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* in the South Atlantic, including more than 40 carcasses observed this 2025/2026 summer and hundreds of skeletons from previous years.  Collected samples have now been confirmed to include the causative agent of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (bird flu).  Mortality on Beauchêne appears to only be affecting albatrosses – no unusual numbers of carcasses were observed among other species that occur on the island, including penguins, cormorants, caracaras and sealions present on the island – and to be concentrated to a few specific parts of the colony.

 
Tens of fresh carcasses, like the one depicted here,and hundreds of skeletons of Black-browed Albatrosses were found on Beauchêne Island, photograph by Amandine Gamble

 A scientific team from Cornell University (USA), Montpellier Université (France), University of Tasmania (Australia) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK) on board SY Le Sourire collected additional samples for further analysis at Cornell University aimed at characterizing the plausible source(s) of introduction of the virus.  Additional samples were collected from live animals to assess the true extent of the outbreak(s) and consequent immunity levels in the population.

Amandine Gamble collects samples from a dead Black-browed Albatross on Beauchêne Island, photograph by Megan Tierney

Beauchêne hosts the World’s second largest colony of Black-browed Albatrosses, with an estimate of 109 000 pairs.  The largest colony, on Steeple Jason Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)*, was affected by bird flu in 2023/2024, and had a significant reduction of breeding pairs the following year.  The recurrence of mortality events affecting breeding birds in these key populations raises concern for the species and highlights the urgent need for continued monitoring that is as exhaustive as possible in terms of surveyed species and locations.

With thanks to Patricia Serafini.

Amandine Gamble, Member, ACAP High Pathogenicity H5N1 Avian Influenza Intersessional Group, Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, 08 December 2025

A report to the Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation in New Zealand by ‘Biz’ Bell and D. Mclaren of Wildlife Management International write that 407 seabirds of 23 species were reported captured alive or dead by New Zealand fisheries in 2023/24.  Four ACAP-listed species (three albatrosses and the White-chinned Petrel) were in the top five by numbers.

The report’s abstract follows:

“The New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) supports a diverse range of seabird species. Much of the commercial fishing activity in the region overlaps with seabird foraging ranges. The accurate identification of bycatch seabirds interacting with New Zealand fisheries is vital for determining the impact of fisheries on these seabird populations.

Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, a total of 407 seabirds were reported as incidental interactions with commercial fishing vessels by on-board New Zealand Government Observers from 104 observed trips on 30 vessels. These 407 seabirds comprised 23 identifiable species with 13 only identified to family or genus level.

There were 139 seabirds (34%) classed as live interactions (birds released alive) and 268 (66%) resulted in the death of the seabird. Of the 139 alive events, 124 (89%) were interaction-only (i.e., no photograph taken) and only 15 (11%) were photographed interactions. Of the 268 deceased seabirds, 27 (10%) were interaction-only (i.e., no photograph taken), 101 (38%) were photographed interactions and the remaining 140 (52%) were returned for necropsy.

Of the 140 individual seabirds killed by incidental bycatch and returned for necropsy between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, most were returned in the first six months of 2024 (n=88, 63%), with the highest captures during February 2024 (n=27, 19%) and March 2024 (n=22, 16%).

The five most prevalent seabird species returned for necropsy were toroa/Salvin’s albatross (Thalassarche salvini) (n=36, 26%), tītī/sooty shearwater (Ardenna grisea) (n=31, 22%), karetai kauae mā/white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) (n=22, 16%), toroa/New Zealand white-capped albatross (Thalassarche cauta steadi) (n=17, 12%), and toroa/southern Buller’s albatross (Thalassarche bulleri bulleri) (n=15, 11%).

Of the 140 necropsy birds, 131 (94%) were adults, with mostly males (n=77, 55%) returned. The number of breeding birds were 84 individuals (60%), and seven (5%) birds were confirmed as non-breeding.

The birds returned for necropsy were killed from a variety of fishing methods, such as trawl (n=94, 67%), longline (n=30, 21%), set net (n=5, 4%) with the remaining 11 birds (8%) still to have their fishing method confirmed. This resulted in 221 injuries recorded with most predominant cause identified as waterlogged (n=57, 41% of all birds returned) of which 53% were represented as albatross. Broken wings were frequently observed (n=32, 23% of all birds returned) and present in 74 (53%) of all albatrosses and 66 (47%) smaller seabird (i.e., petrel, shearwater, prion, etc.) captures. No visible injuries were present in 33 (24%) of returned birds, of which 52% were albatross and 49% were smaller seabirds.

In addition to the seabirds that were returned for necropsy, examination of data, photographs or videos from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Central Observer Database (COD) and images provided by Government Observers identified a further 267 seabirds reported as seabird-vessel interactions or photographed (as dead or alive captures) aboard 30 fishing vessels. Of these interactions, 151 (57%) had no associated photographs taken (i.e., interaction-only) and most (n=126, 83%) were released alive or left the vessel unaided. The remaining 116 (43%) seabird interactions were photographed and had corresponding entries in the COD extract.”

Reference:

Bell, E.A. & Mclaren, D. 2025.  INT2022-02: Identification of seabirds captured in New Zealand Fisheries: 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.  Unpublished Wildlife Management International Technical Report for the Department of Conservation.  Blenheim: Wildlife Management International Ltd.  33 pp.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 December 2025

 The BirdLife International Seabird Tracking Database is the largest collection of seabird tracking data in existence, covering 189 species.  It serves as a central store for seabird tracking data from around the world and aims to help further seabird conservation work and support the tracking community.  Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of birds, but because of their highly dispersed and mobile ecology, their distribution and behaviour at-sea are not well understood.  Remote tracking data are vital to help understand how seabirds use the oceans and to identify important sites for their conservation.

The database contains tracking records for all 22 albatross species from 52 breeding colonies, with 9685 tracks and 3 750 478 data points submitted by 64 data holders (as at 2022).  Data sets are also kept for ACAP-listed giant Macronectes spp., Procellaria Petrels and some shearwaters.

The database has recently received a series of updates to improve its function, aid data discovery/visualisation, and promote a long-term legacy for uploaded data.  Read about the updates with an  updated instructions page from here.

Originally called Tracking Ocean Wanderers, the database brings together data from a range of seabird species and families.  It has been made possible through the collaboration of seabird scientists from around the world.  The website has been developed to build links between data owners and their data, as well as to provide tools to support data submission and standardising as well as to foster further seabird conservation work.

Sign up for the online Seabird Tracking Database Newsletter here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 04 December 2025

“The SCAR [Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research] Open Science Conference is where the Antarctic research community comes together. SCAR and the Norwegian Polar Institute are thrilled to invite you to join colleagues and friends in Oslo, Norway, for the 12th SCAR Open Science Conference & Meetings, taking place 8-19 August 2026 at the Clarion Hotel The Hub in Oslo, Norway.”

The parallel session programme will feature 50 parallel sessions across the Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, along with a selection of cross-disciplinary themes.

The Life Science section includes the following session:

S17: Antarctic and Subantarctic Birds: Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation

Convenors: Michelle LaRue & Hugo Guímaro

Antarctic and subantarctic [sic] birds are key components of the Southern Ocean ecosystem, linking marine and terrestrial environments and responding to environmental variability.  This session welcomes studies that explore the ecology, behaviour, evolution, and conservation of bird species across the Antarctic and subantarctic regions.  We invite contributions spanning broad comparative approaches, such as macroecology, macroevolution, biogeography, and population genetics, as well as research on community-level processes including species assemblages, ecological networks, and trophic interactions.  Work focused on individual species or populations is also encouraged, including studies of physiology, life-history strategies, foraging ecology, movement patterns, and demographic responses.  Given the environmental changes occurring in the Southern Ocean and adjacent regions, we especially encourage submissions addressing the effects of climate change, extreme events, and other environmental drivers on the distribution, behaviour, and resilience of bird communities.  Integrative, interdisciplinary, and long-term perspectives are particularly welcome.

The abstract submission deadline is 28 February 2026.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 December 2025