ACAP Latest News has previously reported on plans to move Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes chicks from low-lying Midway Atoll to be artificially reared in the James Campbell Wildlife Refuge on Oahu.  The aim of the project is to create a new breeding colony that will not be at risk to sea-level rise (click here).

Black-footed Albatross, photograph by Lindsay Young

We can now report that 15 chicks were collected on Midway last week from nests close to the sea’s edge and thus deemed to be at risk to wash-over by big waves from storms by members of the environmental NGO Pacific Rim Conservation.  Following a flight and a blessing, the downy chicks are now safely ensconced in their new home.

The chicks will be raised for the next five months in the hopes of starting the first Black-footed Albatross colony on a main Hawaiian island.  The exercise is intended to be repeated for the next three to five years “in order to move enough birds to start a new colony that is safe from sea level rise, and protected from predators within a newly fenced, predator-free area”. Click here for the full story and a suite of illustrations.

Pacific Rim Conservation is already involved in hand-rearing Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis chicks  in the James Campbell Wildlife Refuge that been hatched from eggs collected on the island of Kauai, with the third year of translocations now underway (click here).  In time, if all goes as planned, the refuge will support breeding populations of two albatross species safe from climate change.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 February 2017

Verónica Cortés (Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain) and colleagues have published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series on bycatch mortality of Scopoli’s Calonectris diomedea, Balearic Puffinus mauretanicus and Yelkouan P. yelkouan Shearwaters in the north-western Mediterranean Sea.

“Bycatch mortality in longline fisheries is considered the main threat at sea for numerous seabird species. These incidental catches occur worldwide, but mortality levels are mainly determined by the specific traits of the fishery operating in each area and the feeding behaviour and local abundance of seabirds. In the Mediterranean, demersal artisanal longliners are known to catch several seabirds, but bycatch rates and the main factors influencing both the probability and the level of seabird bycatch are poorly known. From 2011 to 2015 we conducted 220 trips onboard demersal longline vessels of the Balearic Sea, aiming to study their interaction with seabirds, as well as to understand the detailed procedures of the fishery and the factors that might influence seabird bycatch. Additionally, we recorded bird catches reported by fishermen. We found an average overall bycatch rate of 0.58 birds per 1000 hooks (0.13−1.37, 95% CI), which would imply a conservative estimate ranging from 274 to 2198 seabirds caught annually on demersal longliners in the study area. The most affected species were the 3 endemic and threatened Scopoli’s, Balearic and Mediterranean shearwaters of the Mediterranean (Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus mauretanicus and P. yelkouan, respectively), likely due to their highly aggregative behaviour and diving capabilities. Overall, the main factors influencing bycatch risk were season and time of day. Other influential factors were bait type, wind conditions, gear configuration (specifically, distance between weights), proximity to the breeding colony and the number of hooks. This study shows that mortality caused by demersal longliners is high and may be jeopardizing the viability of the shear water populations. Therefore, the identification and implementation of mitigation measures is urgently required.”

Balearic Shearwaters killed by a longliner, photograph by Verónica Cortés  

Reference:

Cortés, V., Arcos, J.M., & González-Solís, J. 2017.  Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 565: 1-16.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 23 February 2017

Stefan Schoombie (FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the journal Emu - Austral Ornithology on tracking Endangered Sooty Albatrosses Phoebetria fusca at sea.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Sooty Albatrosses (Phoebetria fusca; Endangered) breed only on sub-Antarctic islands in the South Atlantic and south-west Indian Oceans, with most of the population at Gough Island (≈37%), the Prince Edward Islands (≈24%) and the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (≈20%). Breeding Sooty Albatrosses from all three of these populations were tracked during the incubation and brood-guard periods. Birds from Marion Island (Prince Edwards) ranged farther north, despite being the most southerly of the three study sites. Tristan-Gough Sooty Albatrosses concentrated mostly around the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) in the southern Atlantic Ocean, whereas Marion birds were associated with both the SAF and the Sub-Tropical Front (STF) in the southern Indian Ocean. Our tracking data describe where 80% of breeding Sooty Albatrosses forage during the incubation and brood-guard period, including the first records of birds from Marion and Tristan. Such data are important to identify key areas where these threatened birds need protection from mortality on long-line fishing gear. Overlap with the distribution of tuna long-line effort was greater for Sooty Albatrosses from Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island than for Marion birds, suggesting that birds breeding at Atlantic colonies might be at greater risk of bycatch mortality in this fishery.”

Sooty Albatross by Andrea Angel and Ross Wanless

Reference:

Schoombie, S., Dilley, B.J., Davies, D., Glass, T. & Ryan, P.G. 2017.  The distribution of breeding Sooty Albatrosses from the three most important breeding sites: Gough, Tristan and the Prince Edward Islands.  Emu - Austral Ornithology doi/full/10.1080/01584197.2017.1289804.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 February 2017

Kathrin Munro and Theresa Burg (Department of Biology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada) have published in the Australian journal Emu - Austral Ornithology on the genetic structure of Southern Ocean seabirds, including ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Genetic signatures of historical, behavioural and environmental processes are evident in contemporary seabird populations. Molecular markers have allowed us to determine historical patterns of gene flow, relationships among taxa, and contemporary dispersal barriers. The Southern Ocean contains a number of small, isolated islands that are home to four families of seabirds: albatrosses, petrels, penguins and skuas, which have been the focus of a number of population genetic studies. While capable of travelling large distances, many seabirds have restricted dispersal and exhibit high levels of population structure; typically in northern areas and areas with high endemism (e.g. New Zealand). We reviewed 29 studies of 25 Southern Ocean seabird species comparing biogeographic patterns, glacial history and barriers to gene flow, especially at-sea distribution and ocean currents. Despite diversity in behaviour and life history, our review demonstrates that population genetic structure of the seabirds corresponds to the same barriers. For penguins, currents are the major impediment to dispersal whereas at-sea distribution and island location influence population structure for many seabirds with genetically distinct populations on islands at the periphery of their range. As environmental conditions change, it will become more important to assess how seabirds respond and how these changes influence both dispersal and population structure. It is particularly important as a disproportionately high number of Southern Ocean seabirds are threatened or near threatened. Future studies need to focus on adaptive genetic markers, range-wide comprehensive sampling, influence of behaviour on genetic structure and lesser studied seabirds such as terns and cormorants.”

Wandering Albatross and chick, Marion Island, photograph by John Cooper

With thanks to Barry Baker.

Reference:

Munro, K.J. & Burg, T.M. 2017.  A review of historical and contemporary processes affecting population genetic structure of Southern Ocean seabirds.  Emu - Austral Ornithology  doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2016.1271988.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 February 2017