Continuing a tradition: the Australian Antarctic Program raised a banner and baked cakes for World Albatross Day this week

A banner-raising ceremony to celebrate World Albatross Day was held during the morning tea at the Australian Antarctic Program’s Headquarters before all the tasty cakes were devoured. Mike Double, ACAP Advisory Committee Chair, is on the left holding the end of one of the banners

“Plastic Pollution” has been the theme for this year’s World Albatross Day with celebrations taking place around the world this week. Continuing a tradition since 2020 for the fourth year, the Australian Antarctic Program of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water held a tea party and raised a banner to mark the day at its headquarters in Kingston, Tasmania. This year a Bake an Albatross Cake competition was the highlight. Several entries were submitted including a chick surrounded by plastic debris, a trio of albatrosses in a sea of plastic, a chick being offered tasty plastic morsels, and the winning entry, a life-sized Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans with its wings spread made up entirely of cinnamon scroll cakes.

Ready, steady, choose your bun. A life-sized Wandering Albatross made entirely of cinnamon scroll cakes baked by Rob King was the prize winner. “Luckily our cake creations are biodegradable and safe to eat”

Jonathon Barrington, Australia’s National Contact Point for the Agreement, has written to ACAP Latest News: “Plastic pollution affects albatrosses with several Australian species impacted. In Australia’s waters plastics are found in beach-washed, dead albatrosses including seemingly innocuous plastics, such as party balloons. A newly described plastic-caused disease - Plasticosis - affects Flesh-footed Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes from Lord Howe Island in Australia and is of particular concern. This fibrotic disease may well affect other seabirds including albatrosses. We can all help by ensuring that plastic fragments and pieces do not end up in the ocean.”

Albatross chick on its nest surrounded by plastic debris, baked by Natalie Klein-Schiphorst

Three albatrosses swimming in a sea of blue plastic, baked by Alison Cleary

Albatross parents offer plastics to their chick, baked by Andrea Polanowski

Over in Hobart, the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment also joined in celebrations of World Albatross Day 2023 on the 19th with an afternoon tea and a tasty albicake of their own.

The Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment “albicake” depicts a Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta, endemic to Tasmania
Photographs from Jonathon Barrington and by Wendy Pyper

View photographs of all the cakes baked for the “Great Albicake Bake Off”, held as part of the inaugural World Albatross Day in 2020 here.

With thanks to Jonathon Barrington, International & Antarctic Connections, Australian Antarctic Program.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 21 June 2023