Wandering Albatross at sunset, Île de la Possession, Crozet Islands; photograph by Franck Theron

Ruijiao Sun (Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts, USA) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Ecological Monographs on life-history outcomes of a male-skewed population of Vulnerable Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans on Île de la Possession, Crozet Islands, caused by fishery bycatch.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Many animals form long-term monogamous pair bonds, and the disruption of a pair bond (through either divorce or widowhood) can have significant consequences for individual vital rates (survival, breeding, and breeding success probabilities) and life-history outcomes (lifetime reproductive success [LRS], life expectancy). Here, we investigated the causes and consequences of pair-bond disruption in wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans). State-of-the-art statistical and mathematical approaches were developed to estimate divorce and widowhood rates and their impacts on vital rates and life-history outcomes. In this population, females incur a higher mortality rate due to incidental fishery bycatch, so the population is male-skewed. Therefore, we first posited that males would show higher widowhood rates negatively correlated with fishing effort and females would have higher divorce rates because they have more mating opportunities. Furthermore, we expected that divorce could be an adaptive strategy, whereby individuals improved breeding success by breeding with a new partner of better quality. Finally, we posited that pair-bond disruptions could reduce survival and breeding probabilities owing to the cost of remating processes, with important consequences for life-history outcomes. As expected, we showed that males had higher widowhood rates than females and females had higher divorce rates in this male-skewed population. However, no correlation was found between fishing effort and male widowhood. Secondly, contrary to our expectation, we found that divorce was likely nonadaptive in this population. We propose that divorce in this population is caused by an intruder who outcompetes the original partner in line with the so-called forced divorce hypothesis. Furthermore, we found a 16.7% and 18.0% reduction in LRS only for divorced and widowed males, respectively, owing to missing breeding seasons after a pair-bond disruption. Finally, we found that divorced individuals were more likely to divorce again, but whether this is related to specific individual characteristics remains an important area of investigation.”

Reference:

Sun, R., Barbraud, C., Weimerskirch, H., Delord, K., Patrick, S.C., Caswell, H. & Jenouvrier, S. 2022.  Causes and consequences of pair-bond disruption in a sex-skewed population of a long-lived monogamous seabird.  Ecological Monographs  doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1522.

John Cooper, ACAP News Correspondent, 11 August 2022

White-chinned Petrel by ABUN artist Judith MacKay; after a photograph by Andy Wood

 Graeme Elliott and Kath Walker (Albatross Research) have reported to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation via its Conservation Services Programme (CSP) on a survey of globally Vulnerable White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis on Antipodes Island.

The final report’s abstract follows:

“During the summers of 2020-21 and 2021-22 the area of land occupied by white-chinned petrels on Antipodes Island was assessed along with burrow density and burrow occupancy which were combined to produce an estimate of the total size of the white-chinned petrel population there. This was compared with similar estimates made in 2008–2011, and the potential impact of landslides in 2014 and the eradication of mice from Antipodes I in 2016 on the current size of the white-chinned population was assessed. The most recent population estimate is larger than that made in 2008-2011, but the confidence intervals about both estimates are so large that it is not reasonable to conclude there has been any population change. The 2008–2011 and 2021–2022 estimates in combination suggest the population comprises ~46,000 breeding pairs.

The landslides in 2014 destroyed 5.6% of the white-chinned petrel burrows and as birds were incubating at the time of the landslides, up to 2.6% of the breeding population was killed. Subsequently the land on which the landslides occurred has been unsuitable for white-chinned petrel burrows and the birds that used these places have either died, moved, or stopped breeding.

Although mice are known to prey on white-chinned petrels, any improvement in nesting success because of the mouse eradication has not had sufficient time to be reflected in the size of the breeding population.

The use of distance sampling for assessing burrow density, as well as the explicit assessment of the effectiveness of burrow occupancy measurement techniques are useful improvements in white-chinned petrel population size assessment techniques. With greater field effort and increased sample sizes these tools could provide more precise estimates of population size, though even with these improvements, estimates of population size are not precise enough to reliably detect population trends. Detection of population change is likely to be more easily achieved with an intensive mark-recapture study of birds in a representative study population.”

Reference:

Elliot, G. & Walker K. 2022.  Estimating the number of white-chinned petrels breeding on Antipodes Island.  Nelson: Albatross Research.  17 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP News Correspondent, 10 August 2022

Photographs clockwise from top left; John, Working Group meetings, Hermanus, South Africa, 2008; John, at home in South Africa, 2022; photograph by Ruth Cooper

Wishing John Cooper the very best on his retirement: photos of John over the years and quotes from those who have had the pleasure of working with him (photographer unknown unless acknowledged)

With over 20 years of involvement with ACAP, contemplating retirement from an organisation in which he played a key role in its genesis has not been easy for John Cooper. John’s long-term involvement with ACAP has seen him hold a number of roles over the years: he played an instrumental part in ACAP’s formation, he was Vice Chair of the ACAP Advisory Committee from 2005 - 2007, and has, for the last 17 years been ACAP’s honorary Information Officer. As honorary Information Officer, John has kept followers of ACAP’s website and Facebook page up to date with the latest research articles, newly released books, artworks or poems. From the serious to the quirky, John has the knack for finding all albatross and petrel related news.

John has been a crucial figure in both creating and communicating key ACAP initiatives including, the ACAP species summaries and breeding sites series, infographics and photo essays, starting and managing the ACAP Facebook page to its now 6000 plus followers, and writing thousands of posts for ACAP’s latest news on the website. His most recent feat has been the initiation and development of World Albatross Day. This celebratory day, marked annually on 19 June, is a chance to shine a spotlight on albatrosses and grow awareness of the threats and uncertain future they face as a species, as well as the solutions available to reduce risks to these birds. World Albatross Day has been embraced by a global community who have a shared passion for this magnificent bird. John should be truly proud of all he has achieved in his efforts to improve the conservation status of the world’s albatrosses and petrels.

Photographs clockwise from bottom left: John (left) and ACAP TWG Convenor and former Advisory Committee Chair and Vice-chair, Mark Tasker at AC2, Brasilia, Brazil, 2006; ACAP AC Vice-chair Tatiana Neves (left), John (centre) and PaCSWG Co-convenor, Patricia Serafini (right) at AC11, Florianopolis, Brazil, 2019.

Upon hearing of John’s retirement, tributes flowed in from those that have worked with him over the course of his career. What is immediately apparent is how recognised he is for his boundless energy, his deep affection for seabirds, and his unfaltering commitment to the conservation of their populations across the globe. And that is certainly a feeling echoed by ACAP, “John is a wonderful colleague and friend. His dedication to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels is an example to us all. It has been an absolute privilege to work with him over the past three and a half years." Dr Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary.

Photographs clockwise from bottom left: John holding his ACAP retirement gift (sponsorship of three hectares towards the eradication of Marion Island’s invasive mice population); photograph by Ruth Cooper; John, AC10, Wellington, New Zeland, 2017; John (2nd from left) with the South African delegation, MoP1, Hobart, Australia, 2004

John has opted for a slow release into retirement, meaning we will have time to ease into the new arrangement here at ACAP. He has taken World Albatross Day coordination under his wing and will continue to promote this growing event for the foreseeable future. Happily for ACAP he has also agreed to contribute monthly guest posts to be featured across ACAP’s social media pages and the website, and will still be writing occasional news posts under his new moniker, News Correspondent. And so with heartfelt thanks for your dedication, enthusiasm and energy, ACAP wishes you the very best John. You will be missed by all here at ACAP – even in the guise of a ‘soft retirement’. Enjoy!

Posted 9 August, 2022

A most fitting retirement gift: ACAP has sponsored three hectares towards the eradication of Marion Island’s albatross-killing mice in my name; photograph by Ruth Cooper

“A soft release is a means by which an animal is gradually introduced or familiarized to a new environment before its eventual release in that location.  This is a slow, gradual process that allows the animal to return to a safe resting place until it is ready to be completely independent.”

The ACAP Information Officer is retiring this week!  After 17 enjoyable years of drafting and posting over 4000 searchable stories to ACAP Latest News it is time for me to take a break and have a little more time to entertain my granddaughter and to ride my bike.  ACAP’s recently contracted Communications Advisor, Bree Forrer will be taking the lead in posting to ALN from now on.  Moving into my “soft retirement”, I will pass on news I come across to Bree for possible featuring.  Additionally, at least for the rest of the year, you will still be seeing my byline in ALN as a “News Correspondent”, so that between the two of us we can endeavour to keep up the accustomed steady flow of news.

I retired from my near 40-year university career as a marine ornithologist over 15 years ago. Since then, and for a few years before, I have been privileged to have been able to work with a fine community of people who I have met while attending meetings of the ACAP Advisory Committee and its working groups, as well as most of the Sessions of the Meeting of the Parties held to date.  More particularly, I have been lucky to have had the unstinting support and friendship of three Executive Secretaries, ACAP’s long-standing Science Officer, and all the Agreement’s Chief Officers, many of whom have become personal friends.

During my years with ACAP, we have managed to start (and is some cases complete) a number of initiatives that I think serve the Agreement well in working towards its primary goal of improving the conservation status of the world’s albatrosses and petrels.  In no particular order these include the series on breeding sites, species summaries, photo essays and infographics; most of which have been produced in the three ACAP languages of English, French and Spanish.  Early on, we started a Facebook page which has steadily grown to 6100 followers; now complemented by ACAP’s Instagram account, commenced last month by Bree Forrer.

Most significantly, perhaps, in 2020 ACAP initiated a World Albatross Day, to be marked annually on 19 June.  Despite one or two doubters, is seems that the celebration has taken off, with broad support now appearing for it from round the world.  Planning is currently underway for “WAD2023”, the fourth World Albatross Day that ACAP will lead.  A special pleasure for me has been the ongoing collaboration with Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature that has resulted in an amazing 500 artworks depicting all 31 ACAP-listed species being made available for ACAP to use.  I will continue to work with ACAP on next year’s World Albatross Day (two new competitions are planned, so watch this space).  Following sponsorships already obtained, I will be helping to produce seven more ACAP Species Infographics over the next 12 months in support of the annual day.  I will be starting with an infographic for the Light-mantled Albatross, to be sponsored by BirdLife South Africa on behalf of the Mouse-Free Marion Project.

I am honoured to have been asked by the ACAP Secretariat to write a monthly series of guest posts for ACAP Latest News as its “Emeritus ACAP Information Officer”.  These should commence in a month or so.  Allowing me a more personal style of writing, look for my view on why the Mediterranean’s Yelkouan Shearwater should be ACAP listed (and what that might mean for the Agreement), my personal musings on ACAP’s development and progress over the years (with stories behind the stories), the odd book review, and maybe even an albatross haiku or two!

“Tell me a story”.  I chat with a non-breeding Wandering Albatross that approached me on the path near Kaalkoppie, Marion Island in May 2012; artwork by Steve Erwin of Stencilworx, after a photograph by Wouter Hanekom

So, it is not quite “So long, and thanks for all the albatrosses” - I will be around for a little while longer!

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 08 August 2022