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'WADWEEK' No. 4. ACAP makes a Global Call to Protect the Ocean’s Sentinels to mark World Albatross Day

 WALD 2025 Eng 01 Rev

Highly threatened by bird flu and industrial fisheries, albatrosses need protection worldwide

On 19 June 2025, conservationists and wildlife advocates worldwide will celebrate World Albatross Day (WAD2025) with its theme “Effects of Disease”, as an opportunity to highlight the conservation crisis faced by these iconic ocean dwellers.  This year’s theme aims to shed light on the alarming impact of diseases, particularly High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI; bird flu), on already vulnerable albatross and petrel populations.  The current outbreak has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of wild birds worldwide, pushing several species closer to extinction.  It is estimated that several species of albatrosses and petrels have been impacted by bird flu worldwide.

Celebrated for their remarkable long-distance flights, albatrosses and petrels play a crucial role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems.  As apex predators, these birds feed on fish, squid, and other marine organisms.  By consuming these prey and subsequently excreting waste they contribute to nutrient cycling, returning vital nutrients to the ocean. Additionally, they serve as indicators of ocean health.  A decrease in albatross or petrel populations often signals changes in fish stocks or broader environmental issues, such as climate change or pollution.  Albatrosses are the sentinels of our oceans; if they’re struggling, it’s a sign the whole marine environment is under stress.

Albatrosses are among the most threatened group of birds globally, with 15 of the 22 species currently listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.  “Albatrosses are already facing major threats such as industrial fisheries bycatch, invasive predators on breeding islands, chemical and plastic pollution, and climate change,” says Dr. Laura Roberts, State Veterinarian for South Africa’s Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

Now, with the current global bird flu outbreak, these magnificent birds are confronting an even worse and unprecedented convergence of threats that is pushing many species closer to extinction.  “We’re witnessing a perfect storm of threats,” says Dr. Marcela Uhart, wildlife health expert with the University of California, Davis, USA.  “The need for coordinated science-driven conservation action has never been more urgent.”

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Bird flu victim?  A dead Black-browed Albatross on its nest, Steeple Jason,
Falkland Islands, (Islas Malvinas)*, photograph by Alastair Baylis

Black browed Albatross dead Steeple Jason Penguin News
A Black-browed Albatross chick succumbs to avian flu on Steeple Jason, Falkland Islands, (Islas Malvinas)*
, March 2024, photograph from Penguin News

Recent outbreaks of bird flu have been confirmed in several seabird species, including albatrosses, across both hemispheres.  Estimates suggest that over 10 000 chicks and thousands of adult Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris died in 2023/2024 due to a bird flu outbreak in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* alone.  The disease has spread to the sub-Antarctic region, affecting Vulnerable Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans colonies on Bird Island, South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)*, Marion, Crozet and Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Ocean.  Isolated cases of bird flu infection have also been recorded in Procellariiformes (the order that includes albatrosses and petrels) across Europe, Africa and the Americas.

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Tests confirmed HPAI.  Corpse of a Wandering Albatross chick in the Goney Plain long-term monitoring colony, Marion Island, November 2024, photograph by Rhiannon Gill

Even before the emergence of bird flu, other infectious diseases have been affecting seabirds around the world. For instance, “Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses T. carteri on Amsterdam Island have been facing recurrent outbreaks of avian cholera, a bacterial disease, since the mid-1980s,” says Dr. Amandine Gamble, infectious disease ecologist at Cornell University, New York, USA. “Bird flu represents an additional threat to these already weakened populations,” Gamble adds.   Other infectious diseases known to affect albatrosses and petrels are caused by, for instance, poxviruses.

Albatrosses and petrels, many of which breed in large, dense colonies, are particularly vulnerable to pathogens. “Once bird flu reaches seabird colonies, our ability to reduce mortality is extremely limited,” says Patricia Serafini, an environmental analyst at the National Center for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (CEMAVE) in Brazil and ACAP Population and Conservation Status Working Group Co-convenor.  “We must do everything we can to prevent further spread while simultaneously addressing other conservation threats for which mitigation tools are already available.”

“Consumers can play an important role in albatross conservation”, says Serafini. By choosing seafood not linked to albatross bycatch, individuals can help reduce a major threat to these birds. Supporting brands and fisheries that prioritise seabird-safe practices is a vital step toward protecting these oceanic travellers. People can also help prevent the spread of bird flu and other diseases by respecting travel advisories regarding affected areas and reporting dead birds to local wildlife authorities or health departments.

World Albatross Day serves as a powerful reminder of the interconnected threats facing marine life. “Protecting albatrosses and petrels is not just about saving beautiful birds; it means protecting the balance of life in the oceans they call home,” says Patricia Serafini.

Join us on 19 June in celebrating World Albatross Day and advocating for the protection of these remarkable ocean sentinels.

With thanks to Patricia Serafini, Convenor, ACAP Intersessional Group on Avian Influenza and Diseases.

NOTE: Access this media release in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese here.

ACAP Intersessional Group on Avian Influenza and Diseases on behalf of the ACAP Secretariat, 16 June 2025

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.

‘WADWEEK’ No. 3. BirdLife Australia will hold a World Albatross Day webinar on 19 June

BirdLife Australia 

BirdLife Australia will hold a “Birds Meet: World Albatross Day” webinar on 19 June over 19h00-20h00 AEST.

“Come celebrate World Albatross Day with Dr. Yuna Kim, BirdLife Australia Seabird Coordinator.  Albatrosses are among the most remarkable seabirds on the planet, known for their vast movements across the world’s oceans.  And did you know Australia has its very own albatross species – the Near Threatened Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta?

Sadly, Shy Albatross and other seabirds are threatened by H5 bird flu, and as the theme of World Albatross Day 2025 is Effects of Disease, Tanya Loos, BirdLife Australia’s Avian Influenza Response Coordinator will also present to discuss this looming threat, and how we can help conserve these long-lived and simply beautiful birds.”

Yuna Kim Goulds Petrel Andrew Morrison
Yuna Kim holds a Gould’s Petrel chick, photograph by Andrew Morrison

Dr. Yuna Kim is a seabird ecologist with over 14 years of experience working on Gould’s Petrel Pterodroma leucoptera and other threatened seabirds across Australasia and Antarctica. She previously worked with the BirdLife International Marine Programme, tackling seabird bycatch to help protect marine habitats.  Yuna currently leads national seabird conservation projects at BirdLife Australia and serves as the East Asian–Australasian Flyway liaison officer for the Australasian Seabird Group, a special interest group of BirdLife Australia.

Tanya Loos
Tanya Loos, with Australian Pelicans

Tanya Loos is BirdLife Australia’s Avian Influenza Response Coordinator.  She has been a member of BirdLife Australia for decades and is involved with her local BirdLife branches in Victoria – Ballarat and Castlemaine.  Tanya is a science communicator and biodiversity projects coordinator – and is passionate about working with diverse stakeholders for wildlife (especially bird) health.

Registration is now open.  On signing up, confirmation emails will be then sent out with the webinar link.

Read an article by Yuna and Tanya entitled “Confronting the silent threat of disease” on the BirdLife Australia website to mark the sixth annual World Albatross Day.

With thanks to Yuna Kim, Seabird Project Coordinator, BirdLife Australia.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 15 June 2025

'WADWEEK' No. 2. ACAP releases a Species Infographic for the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross to mark World Albatross Day on 19 June

Final English IYNA 

The latest ACAP Species Infographic, the 20th to be produced in the 31-species series, is for the Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri.  It has been chosen as one of two “feature species”, along with the Endangered Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis, for this year’s World Albatross Day on 19 June, with its theme of “Effects of Disease”.  As for all previous infographics it is also being produced in the official ACAP languages of French and Spanish.

preview indianyelownosed fr

The ACAP Species Infographic series has been designed to help inform the public, including school learners, of the threats faced by albatrosses and petrels and what is being and can be done to combat them.  They serve to complement the more detailed and referenced ACAP Species Assessments, the concise and illustrated ACAP Species Summaries and the ACAP Photo Essay series.  English and Portuguese language versions of the infographics produced to date are available to download here.  French and Spanish versions can be found in their respective language menus for the website under Infographies sur les espèces and Infographía sobres las especies.

preview indianyelownosed es

The 20 infographics produced to date may be freely downloaded at a high resolution to allow for printing professionally in two poster sizes (approximately A2 and A3).  Please note they are only being made available for personal use or when engaging in activities that will aid in drawing attention to the conservation crisis faced by the world’s albatrosses and petrels – when ACAP will be pleased to receive a mention.  They should not be used for personal gain.

The ACAP Species Infographics are being created by Thai illustrator Namasri ‘Namo’ Niumim from Bangkok.  Namo is a graduate of the School of Architecture and Design, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design.

The next ACAP Species Infographic to be produced, the 21st in the series, will be for the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, sponsored by the Australian Antarctic Division.

With thanks to the Norwegian Environment Agency for part-sponsoring the infographic and to Pep Arcos and Karine Delord for their continued help editing Spanish and French translations, respectively.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 14 June 2025

'WADWEEK' No. 1. Charting the spread of high-pathogenicity avian influenza from South America to Antarctica

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Locations of reported mortalities associated with high-pathogenicity avian influenza virus of the subtype H5 in wild birds and wild mammals in Central America, South America, and neighbouring island groups (from the publication)

World Albatross Day 2025 with its theme of “Effects of Disease” falls on 19 June.  From today until the 19th ACAP Latest News intends to post daily articles during “WADWEEK” that address or refer to the theme.

Thijs Kuiken (Department of Viroscience, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and colleagues have reviewed the occurrence and spread of high-pathogenicity avian influenza in South America and in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean open access in the journal Conservation Biology.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The currently circulating high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the subtype H5 causes variable illness and death in wild and domestic birds and mammals, as well as in humans. This virus evolved from the Goose/Guangdong lineage of the HPAI H5 virus, which emerged in commercial poultry in China in 1996, spilled over into wild birds, and spread through Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America by 2021. Our objective was to summarize the spread and impact of the HPAI H5 virus in wild birds and mammals in South America, evaluate the risk of its spread and potential impact on Antarctic wildlife, and consider actions to manage the current and future HPAI outbreaks in wildlife. We obtained data on HPAI H5 virus detection and reported wildlife deaths from websites, newspaper articles, and scientific publications. The virus arrived in South America in October 2022. Thereafter, it spread widely and rapidly throughout the continent, where it infected at least 83 wild bird species and 11 wild mammal species and is estimated to have killed at least 667,000 wild birds and 52,000 wild mammals. The HPAI H5 virus spread to the Antarctic region by October 2023 and to mainland Antarctica by December 2023. This spread was associated with multiple mortality events in seabirds and marine mammals. The high spatial density of colonies of various Antarctic species of birds and mammals provides conditions for potentially devastating outbreaks with severe conservation implications. Ecosystem-level impacts may follow, and affected populations may take decades to recover. Although little can be done to stop the virus spread in wildlife, it is important to continue targeted surveillance of wildlife populations for HPAI H5 virus incursion and assessment of the spread and impact of disease to inform adaptation of conservation plans and to help policy makers mitigate and prevent future HPAI outbreaks.

With thanks to Patricia Serafin, ACAP Intersessional Group on Avian Influenza and Diseases.

Reference:

Kuiken, T., Vanstreels, R.E.T., Banyard, A., Begeman, L., Breed, A., Dewar, M., Fijn, R., Serafini, P.P., Uhart, M. & Wille, M. 2025.  Emergence, spread, and impact of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5 in wild birds and mammals of South America and Antarctica, October 2022 to March 2024.  Conservation Biology doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70052.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 13 June 2025

Report of the Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties published

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MoP8 delegates on the lawn of the Dunedin Leisure Lodge

The 91-page Report of the Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MoP8), held at Dunedin, New Zealand, from 19 to 23 May 2025, is now available in English.

The French and Spanish translations of the MoP8 report will be published by mid-July.

All 13 Parties to the Agreement were represented at the Session: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and Uruguay.

Documents and Information Papers tabled at the meeting are available from here.

ACAP Secretariat, 12 June 2025

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

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Email: secretariat@acap.aq
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