Yves Cherel (Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Villiers-en-Bois, France) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series comparing diets of Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans at the French Crozets and Kerguelen.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Feeding ecology and isotopic niche of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans were investigated in the poorly studied population on the Kerguelen Islands and compared to that on the Crozet Islands. Fish (48% by mass) and cephalopods (46%) were similarly important in chick food at Kerguelen, while cephalopods (87%) dominated the diet at Crozet. Fish prey included mainly deep-sea species, with the Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides being the main item. Cephalopod beaks were identified, most of which were from adult oceanic squids. Albatrosses preyed upon the same taxa at both localities, but in different proportions. Histioteuthis atlantica (30% by number), Galiteuthis glacialis (13%), and Kondakovia longimana (10%) were the main squid prey at Kerguelen, while K. longimana (35%) and H. eltaninae (23%) dominated at Crozet. Chick feather δ15N values were higher in wandering albatrosses than in other oceanic seabirds of the 2 communities, indicating that the wandering albatross is an apex consumer together with the sperm whale and sleeper shark that have similar δ15N values. Satellite-tracked wandering albatrosses foraged in local subantarctic waters and farther north, with some Crozet birds overlapping with those from the Kerguelen population in western Kerguelen waters. Anthropogenic items (e.g. plastic fragments, hooks) were found in half the food samples. All fishery-related items were from the local toothfish fishery. The high number of hooks from Crozet indicated the presence of a fairly large number of illegal longliners in the area during the Austral winter 1998. A review of the feeding habits of Diomedea spp. highlights the need for more dietary investigations to achieve effective conservation and management of this endangered group of charismatic seabirds.

Wandering Albatrosses display, photograph by Rowan Treblico

Reference:

Cherel, Y., Xavier, J.C., de Grissac, S., Trouvé, C. & Weimerskirch, H. 2017.  Feeding ecology, isotopic niche, and ingestion of fishery-related items of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans at Kerguelen and Crozet Islands. Marine Ecology Progress Series 565:197-215. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11994.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 March 2017

Incidental mortality of albatrosses in the Argentine freezer trawl fleet in the South Atlantic has been identified and described in previous ACAP meetings, as set out in the following documents (SBWG5 Doc 36; SBWG7 Doc 17 Rev 1; SBWG7 Inf 05 Rev 1).

During the last year, the Albatross Task Force Argentina (part of Aves Argentinas, the BirdLife International local partner), promoted the drafting of a new regulation for the use of bird-scaring lines on Argentine freezer trawlers, working in collaboration with the Under-Secretariat of Fisheries, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the National Fisheries Institute (INIDEP), the University of Mar del Plata (IIMyC, UNMDP-CONICET) and Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina.

Last week the Federal Fishery Council of Argentina, the agency that manages fishing activities in the country, adopted a conservation measure (Regulation 03/2017) requiring the use of bird-scaring lines in the freezer trawl fishery. The implementation of this conservation measure will be voluntary for one year and then become mandatory from 1 May 2018.

Nahuel Chavez (right) from ATF Argentina works with trawler crew members on a bird-scaring line, photograph by Nahuel Chavez

A bird-scaring line is deployed on an Argentine trawler during a mitigation trial, photograph by Leo Tamini

This new regulation adds to the one already in use requiring mitigation measures in demersal longline vessels (Regulation 08/2008, adopted in 2008 and in force since 2009) and forms part of the implementation of the Argentine National Plan of Action – Seabirds, adopted by the Federal Fishery Council in 2010 and recently revised (click here).

Leoandro Tamini, Albatross Task Force Argentina, 28 March 2017

Marcela Uhart (One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA) and colleagues have published a review in the journal Bird Conservation International on diseases, including avian cholera caused by Pasteurella multocida, recorded from the 31 species of albatrosses and petrels listed by the Albatross and Petrel Agreement.

The paper’s abstract follows:

Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) and large petrels (Macronectes and Procellaria spp.) are among the world’s most rapidly declining birds. Some of the most endangered species, Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis, Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri and Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca, are at risk from recurrent avian cholera outbreaks. Yet little is known about the overall impact of disease in this group. We compiled all available information on pathogens described in albatrosses and large petrel species listed under the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) (n = 31). Available reports (n = 53) comprise nearly 60% of ACAP species (18/31). However, only 38% of them focus on threatened species (20/53), and 43% solely report macroparasite findings (23/53). Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys [sic] (Near Threatened) and Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus (Least Concern) are the two species with higher number of publications (29/53, 55% of all papers). Conversely, seven species on the IUCN Red List have three papers or less each. Most existing research has resulted from disease or mortality investigations and baseline studies (28 and 32%, respectively). Pathogens reported in the subset of ACAP species, included bacteria in seven species (39%), v iruses in five (28%), protozoa in four (22%), helminths in nine (50%), ectoparasites in 13 (72%) and fungi in one species (5%). Avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, appears as the most severe threat to ACAP species. Infections by poxvirus are the most common viral finding, yet entail lower population level impact. Few serosurveys report pathogen exposure in these species, but add valuable baseline information. There are numerous obvious gaps in species and geographical coverage and likely under-reporting due to remoteness, accessibility and sporadic monitoring. This insufficient knowledge may be hampering effective protection and management of populations at risk. Attention to species currently affected by avian cholera is of utmost priority.”

Amsterdam Albatross, photograph by Scott Shaffer

With thanks to Marcy Uhart.

Reference:

Uhart, M.M., Gallo, L. & Quintana, F. 2017.  Review of diseases (pathogen isolation, direct recovery and antibodies) in albatrosses and large petrels worldwide.  Bird Conservation International doi.org/10.1017/S0959270916000629.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 27 March 2017

The passing of Chandler Seymour ‘Chan’ Robbins (17 July 1918 - 20 March 2017) this week is a sad loss to ornithology

Chandler Robbins’ long career (he lived to 98 years of age and worked well into his retirement years as a volunteer with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center) commenced with the US Fish & Wildlife Service in 1945 – two years before I was born.  His ornithological achievements over seven decades included initiating breeding surveys, running banding programmes and producing bird books.

Chandler Robbins with his venerable binoculars

Chandler Robbins with an albatross in earlier days 

From the perspective of the Albatross and Petrel Agreement Chandler Robbins is well known as the man who first banded Wisdom, the 66+ year old Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis as an adult on the USA’s Midway Atoll way back in 1956 (I was then only nine).  His resighting of the now colour-banded bird in 2002 led to Wisdom becoming famous as the World’s oldest bird.  Certainly, she is the oldest known albatross of any species.  She has had a children’s book written about her and for a while had an active Facebook page of her own.  So good then to report that Wisdom and her current mate are still going strong and are currently rearing her nth chick on Midway (click here).

Wisdom wiith her latest egg (now hatched) in December 2016, photograph by the US Fish & Wildlife Service

I only met Chandler Robbins, on one occasion, fittingly at a workshop we attended on the population biology of the Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes in Honolulu in the Hawaiian islands in October 1998.  Chandler’s contributions to the workshop on the birds he banded and recaptured on Midway allowed for the attendees to model the species’ population dynamics; matters covered in the workshop report, edited by Kathy Cousins and myself.

“Chan was gracious and giving. He was possessed of the deepest humanity. An encounter with Robbins typically resulted in a “Chan story,” usually entertaining and a bit surreal, invariably humbling, and sometimes literally life-changing.”

Read more of Chandler's passing here and here.

ACAP extends its sympathies to Chandler’s relatives, friends and colleagues.  We can imagine that at a special nest on Midway, or far out to sea on a chick-provisioning trip, Wisdom is tipping a wing from one old timer to another for a life well lived. 

References:

Cousins, K.L. & Cooper, J. 2000.  The Population Biology of the Black-footed Albatross in Relation to Mortality Caused by Longline Fishing.  Honolulu: Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.  120 pp.

Hull, J. 2014. Three generations of citizen science: the pioneer.  Audubon November-December 2014.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 March 2018