ACAP will consider listing the Flesh-Shearwater at the 2026 Meeting of its Advisory Committee in Namibia next month

Flesh-footed Shearwater at sea, photograph by Kirk Zufelt

On the agenda for the Fifteenth Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee (AC15), to be held in Swakopmund, Namibia over 1-5 June 2026, will be a consideration of the listing of new species on ACAP’s Annex 1.  Two Meeting Documents have been tabled under Agenda Item 16 for discussion.  The first (Potential listing of Flesh-footed Shearwater on Annex 1, AC15 Doc 18) will be presented by New Zealand, Australia and France.

Its Summary follows:

“The Flesh-footed Shearwater has been recognised as a strong candidate for listing on Annex 1 based on criteria used by ACAP.  The Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) adopted a proposal to list Flesh-footed Shearwater on Appendix II of CMS.  A Concerted Action was also adopted.  Listing on Annex 1 of ACAP would further facilitate the anticipated benefits identified in the CMS listing proposal, as ACAP is very active in the development and promotion of best-practice seabird bycatch mitigation advice for relevant fisheries.”

Doc. 18 recommends that AC15:

1. Note the listing of Flesh-footed Shearwater on Appendix II of CMS and associated Concerted Action.

2. Consider the CMS listing proposal document and identify any additional information that should be included in a potential proposal for listing Flesh-footed Shearwater on Annex 1 that could be brought to SBWG14/PaCSWG10/AC16 for review.

The CMS adopted the proposed Gadfly Petrel listings

The second document under Agenda Item 16 (Listing of gadfly petrels on CMS Appendices I and II, Doc 19), to be presented by New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Chile, takes note of the recent CMS listing of 26 gadfly petrels in the genera Pterodroma and Pseudobulweria on its Appendices.  It recommends that ACAP considers the CMS listing and identifies any further actions that ACAP could take to improve the conservation status of these species.

ACAP Latest News will report on the outcome of the Agenda 16 discussions after ACAP releases its Report on the 15th Meeting of the Advisory Committee.

Read earlier ACAP Monthly Missives on ACAP listing of the Near Threatened Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carneipes here and here. Read more on its CMS listing here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 May 2026