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title: "Threatened shearwaters and the 2012 Red Data List"
---

# Threatened shearwaters and the 2012 Red Data List

In April this year the [Critically Endangered](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=30026) Balearic Shearwater of the Mediterranean Sea was listed within the Albatross and Petrel Agreement following its nomination by Spain ([click here](https://www.acap.aq/latest-news/report-of-acaps-fourth-session-of-the-meeting-of-the-parties-is-now-available-on-line)).  During the last meeting of ACAP's Advisory Committee, held in Ecuador in 2011, Chile announced it would work towards nominating its own endemic shearwater, the [Vulnerable](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3931) Pink-footed *P. creatopus*, to the Agreement.

 This month BirdLife International and the World Conservation Union have released their 2012 update to the [IUCN Red List](http://www.iucnredlist.org/) of threatened birds of the World.  BirdLife currently recognizes 22 species of shearwaters, of which eight have been accorded a threatened status in this year's list ([click here](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciessearchresults.php?reg=&cty=&cri=&fam=18&gen=0&spc=&cmn=&hab=&thr=&bt=&rec=N&vag=N&hdnAction=ADV_SEARCH&SearchTerms=)).  These eight species include the Yelkouan Shearwater *P. yelkouan*, endemic as is the Balearic to the Mediterranean, which has now been up-listed from Near Threatened to [Vulnerable](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3937).

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Yelkouan/Yelkouan_Shearwater_Matthew_ Borg_Cardona.JPG)  
Yelkouan Shearwater.  Photograph by Matthew Borg Cardona

 "This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable as it is estimated to be undergoing a rapid population decline, caused by extremely low breeding success and adult survival owing to fisheries bycatch and predation by introduced mammals.  Declines have probably been on-going for many years, and are projected to continue.  The species may be declining more rapidly than this and should this be confirmed, the species will warrant uplisting to a higher threat category".

 The Yelkouan Shearwater is under study by several Mediterranean countries, including in Malta (which holds about 10% of the global population) as part of the [EU LIFE+ Malta Seabird Project](http://www.birdlifemalta.org/Content/LIFEPROJECTS/maltaseabirdproject/1115/) ([click here](http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Yelkouan-Shearwater-moves-up-to-vulnerable-in-nature-red-list-20120608)).

 Read  previous coverage on the Yelkouan Shearwater in *[ACAP Latest News](https://www.acap.aq/latest-news/malta-tracks-yelkouan-and-corys-shearwaters-at-sea-towards-declaring-marine-spas-in-the-mediterranean)*.

 John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 11 June 2011