Read about recent developments and findings in procellariiform science and conservation relevant to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels in ACAP Latest News.
The colour-banded Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross at ‘The Petrel Station’
UPDATE: Thierry Boulinier, Projecr Manager writes "this individual had been vaccinated against avian cholera as part of the research project carried out by our group at CEFE, CNRS-Université Montpellier, on infectious disease circulation in south polar seabirds (French Polar Institute IPEV project 1151-ECOPATH." Karine Delord adds the bird was banded in March 2024, Karine Delord adds: "juvenile banded in March 2024 by Lucie (volunteer of the Thierry Boulinier IPEV project) and vaccinated against fowl cholera at around 10 days old".
A colour-banded Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri was spotted at sea on a ‘pelagic’ seabird-watching tour at ‘The Petrel Station’ on the shelf edge, approximately 40 km offshore on the shelf edge off Tutukaka, North Island, New Zealand on 22 September 2024. Photographed by Aaron Skelton, the juvenile bird, so identified by only a faint trace of yellow on its upper mandible, was carrying the colour band white EW4 on its right leg.
Close-up! Colour bands, and a good camera, allow for individual identification at sea
Following an inquiry, it was confirmed by a French research team that the bird was banded as a chick in the most recent (2023/24) breeding season as part of a long-term monitoring programme on France’s Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean that is funded by the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor (IPEV) as part of the project “Seabirds and Marine Mammals as Sentinels of Global Change in the Southern Ocean” (Project: 109 ORNITHO2E), The population on Amsterdam has plummeted in recent decades, notably due to avian cholera.
White EW4 in flight, all photographs by Aaron Skelton
The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand writes of the record of an Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross on its Facebook page:
“These stunning [albatrosses] are extremely scarce off the New Zealand coast with few records in the last 20 odd years. Back in the 1980's they were the most common albatross species in our area but due to fishing bycatch and disease at their Indian Ocean breeding sites their numbers have plummeted resulting in fewer now reaching the NZ coast.”
Ian Sinclair writes of this photograph of the banded bird by Aaron Skelton; "Yes, Indian YNA. tell by the faint yellow on the bill near the base being pointed." And Ian will know, his careful field observations on Gough and Prince Edward Islands were instrumental in the yellow-nosed albatross being separated into two species
Read the trip report for the tour on which the colour-banded albatross was seen and photographed here.
With thanks to Thierry Boulinier, CEFE, CNRS-Université Montpellier, France and Karine Delord, Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé, France and Ian Sinclair for information.
Reference:
Brooke, R.K., Sinclair, J.C. & Berruti. A. 1980. Geographical variation in Diomedea.chlororhynchos (Aves: Diomedeidae) Durban Museum Novitates 12 (15).
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 26 September 2024, updated 27 Setember 2024
André Raine (Archipelago Research & Conservation, Hanapēpē, Kauai, Hawaii, USA) and colleagues have published in the journal Pacific Scienceon breeding adult Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli (Critically Endangered) and Hawaiian Petrels Pterodroma sandwichensis (Endangered) being grounded by lights on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The paper’s abstract follows:
“Light attraction is a well-documented phenomenon affecting seabirds worldwide, with most reported incidents involving juvenile birds grounded around urban areas or brightly lit structures at sea immediately after fledging. However, there is little in the literature regarding the impact of light attraction on breeding adult seabirds on land. This paper describes a fallout event of adults of two endangered seabird species due to lights at a single facility on the island of Kaua‘i, Hawaii, and the effectiveness of subsequent minimization actions once a new lighting regime was adopted. From 1–16 September 2015, 131 adult endangered seabirds including 123 ‘a‘o (Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli) and six ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian Petrels Pterodroma sandwichensis) were grounded by lights at the Kōke‘e Air Force Station. Most birds had brood patches indicating they were breeders. In response, the facility altered its lighting protocol with a blackout period in effect for the remainder of 2015, and significantly reduced lighting from 2016 onwards. Intensive seabird monitoring was undertaken annually from 2016 onwards. Apart from two Newell’s Shearwater adults grounded in 2016 (before the lights were turned out at the start of the seabird season) and one each in 2020 and 2023, no additional grounded birds were found. This fallout event demonstrates that light attraction can be a significant hazard for adult seabirds if bright lights are present near breeding colonies. We provide recommendations for best practice light minimization actions for similar scenarios worldwide where discrete facilities or urban infrastructure are adjacent to breeding colonies of nocturnal Procellariid seabirds.”
Hawaiian Petrel in its burrow, photograph by André Raine
Reference:
Raine, A.F., Driskill, S., Rothe, J., Rossiter, S., Gregg, J., Anderson, T. & Travers, M.S. 2024. The impact of light attraction on adult seabirds and the effectiveness of minimization actions. Pacific Science 78: 85-102.
The FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (FAO-NFI) and the FAO eLearning Academy, with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), have announced the publication of two certified e-learning courses in Spanish. These courses on other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries, aim to enhance knowledge and support of conservation efforts in marine fisheries globally, and are available free of charge:
Waved Albatrosses interact. Courtesy of the American Bird Conservancy
Congressman Jared Huffman (D-one pagerCA) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act and Migratory Bird Protection Act on 11 October 2024, to mark today's World Migratory Bird Day. The joint media release by the two U.S. Representatives says “These bills will give the United States the tools to build upon existing efforts to protect migratory birds and the most threatened species of seabirds.
The media release continues “The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act would implement the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), protecting some of the most endangered seabirds on the planet from international fishing threats. Thousands of albatrosses and petrels die each year due to fisheries operations as they come into contact longline fishing equipment during their migration to nest and find food. Although the United States has attended and contributed to ACAP meetings regularly since the Agreement’s signing in 2001, it has not yet joined the 13 member countries that have signed as parties.”
According to the American Bird Conservancy the two bipartisan bills will require implementation and adoption of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service and will reinforce protections for migratory birds and threatened seabird species, such as the ACAP-listed Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata (Critically Endangered) and the Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus (Vulnerable).
This appears to be the fourth times a bipartisan effort has been made in the USA to become a Party to the Albatross and Petrel Agreement, with three previous attempts made in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
Read more in a "one-pager" and access the full text of the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act of 2024 USA residents can support the USA’s Migratory Bird Protection Act and Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act from here.
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 12 October 2024
The sheer western cliffs of Auckland Island, photograph by Finlay Cox
Eradicating invasive pests on seabird-breeding islands has been undertaken for over 50 years and has become established as one of the most immediate ways of helping restore island ecosystems. During that time invasive mammals have been eradicated from over 700 islands globally. A body of knowledge and experience that has been built up has resulted in a high success rate, while generating a well-defined set of practical principles that maximise the likelihood of success of each eradication that follows. Rat species are prevalent on islands worldwide and have thus been a common target for eradication, but in the past two decades jujhHouse Mice have increasingly been targeted, with mouse eradications also having a high success rate. Where projects have been unsuccessful, their managers and scientists then engage in reviews to identify and integrate key lessons into future operational planning.
The record following eradication projects for the sub-Antarctic islands around the Southern Ocean overall is also a good one. Australia’s Macquarie Island is free of its cats, rabbits, rats and mice, New Zealand’s Campbell Island of its sheep, cats and rats, and more recently New Zealand’s Antipodes Island of its mice. Over in the South Atlantic South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur* is now free of Reindeer, rats and mice. France’s Amsterdam Island has recently been the subject of an eradication project to rid it of feral cats, rats and mice, and so far the results seem promising; it earlier had its feral cattle removed. However, not every eradication project in the sub-Antarctic has been successful: mice remain on France’s St Paul (although its rats were eliminated) and mice have survived the eradication effort on the United Kingdom’s Gough Island in 2021. And there still remain some important seabird islands in the Southern Ocean with introduced mammals awaiting eradication attempts (although on some of them research on their pests has been undertaken). These include France’s Crozet Islands and Kerguelen (multiple species), and Steeple Jason (House Mice) in the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas*.
Some islands in the Southern Ocean have fortunately have remained free or largely free of invasive mammals. These include the UK’s Inaccessible (feral pigs died out) and Nightingale (both part of the Tristan da Cunha group), South Africa’s Prince Edward Island, Australia’s Heard and McDonald Islands, and New Zealand’s Bounty and Snares Islands.
Fatally attacked by Marion Island’s introduced House Mice, this Wandering Albatross chick soon died of its injuries, photograph by Vanessa Stephen, 06 July 2024
For this month’s Missive I reached out to managers and scientists involved with intended eradication efforts on two sub-Antarctic islands, Auckland and New, to ascertain the “state of play”. I do not consider here South Africa’s Marion Island where House Mice are seriously ravaging its albatrosses and petrels, primarily because progress by the Mouse-Free Marion Project with its active website news section and social media postings continues to be regularly featured by ACAP Latest News.
Auckland Island
White-Capped Albatross or Toroa Thalassarche steadi on Auckland Island, photograph by Jake Osbourne
The information below comes from Veronika Frank and Stephen Horn, National Eradication Manager, New Zealand Department of Conservation.
A technical feasibility study for the eradication of pigs, feral cats and mice (feral goats had been previously removed) from the main 46 000-ha Auckland Island in the New Zealand sub-Antarctic was undertaken between 2017 and 2021 leading to a detailed report. Research findings from the study were published in a number of individual papers in a special issue of the New Zealand Journal of Ecology the following year.
Following a pause in progress due to the COVID-19 epidemic, eradication of the three mammalian invaders is now another step closer thanks to recent Government funding of NZD 3.65 million over two years. These funds will enable foundational work to ready the eradication project for initiation. Progress on research and development objectives include:
development of a meat cat bait for use in New Zealand: two successful hand-laid trials completed and an aerial trial currently underway to support registration of this bait;
development of efficient cat-trapping techniques and detectability with camera networks;
successful testing of a feral pig bait and in-field GPS-tagging techniques; and
development of an effective image classifier using artificial intelligence for managing trail cameras.
A feral cat feeds on the body of a White-capped Albatross chick close to fledging, Auckland Island, photograph by Stephen Bradley
The objectives of the current “Readiness Phase” include:
securing the remaining funding required to initiate the eradication project (NZD 78 million total over eight years) through donations, partnerships and Government investment.
establishment of project management, governance, and project delivery structure(s) and recruitment of core team members to progress planning and produce a suite of planning documents such as a Project Plan and Procurement Strategy
Complete research and development for required tools, which include:
registration of the new feral cat bait;
improved helicopter bucket for reliable distribution of rodent bait at low sow rates; and
remotely reporting camera setup and communications system using artificial intelligence with high accuracy to report on target species detections as they occur.
A “storymap” with the title “Preventing extinctions and saving entire ecosystems Subantarctic Auckland Island, New Zealand” dated March 2024 sets out in visual terms the project.
New Island
Landsend Bluff on New Island, photograph by Ian Strange
The New Island National Nature Reserve is considered one of the most globally significant wildlife sites in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* and is in major need of restoration. Four invasive mammal species, feral cats, European Rabbits, Black Rats and House Mice, threaten the site’s fauna and are degrading the island’s fragile habitats. Their removal is required for recovery and long-term climate resilience. The New Island Restoration project aims to complete the preparatory technical steps necessary for an ambitious four-species eradication programme and engage the Falkland Islands Government and community to secure support for New Island’s long-term restoration.
Video by Falkland Conservation
“The feasibility report is currently in the process of being externally reviewed and so isn't ready to make public yet, but as with the 2013 report by Derek Brown the findings were that the removal of all four invasive mammal species remains feasible. Phase 1, which concluded in March enabled us to collate all the technical data required, develop mitigation strategies, identify partners and secure permissions, and we're currently in the fundraising stage to enable Phase 2 (the actual restoration work) to begin. We've recently updated the website to reflect this transition, which includes a stronger message - not if we should do it, but that we are fundraising in order to do it. We're in a better position than ever before to deliver the restoration of NI, and the island needs it now more than ever.”
Read more under the heading “New Island: completing preparatory steps for restoration against invasive mammals” and download progress reports on the Darwin Plus grants scheme website here.
A Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris pair on New Island, photograph by Ian Strange
With thanks to Veronika Frank, Stephen Horn, Ross James, Mark Tasker and Megan Tierney for information.
John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 11 October 2024
*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas.
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The colour-banded Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross at ‘The Petrel Station’
Ian Sinclair writes of this photograph of the banded bird by Aaron Skelton; "Yes, Indian YNA. tell by the faint yellow on the bill near the base being pointed."
Waved Albatrosses interact. Courtesy of the American Bird Conservancy
The sheer western cliffs of Auckland Island, photograph by Finlay Cox
