Post No. 1 for ‘WADWEEK2021’

Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta off Portland, Victoria, Australia, artwork by Brett Jarrett; oil on stretched canvas, 76 x 101 cm

Brett Jarrett is a wildlife artist and illustrator based in Narrawong, a small town close to Portland in Victoria, Australia, where he paints in oils on canvas and exhibits in his own gallery ‘Bay of Whales’.  ACAP Latest News has previously featured Brett and his seabird art, notably of the albatrosses and petrels he has observed on visits to the Antarctic Continent, drawing attention to his many illustrations in A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Hadoram Shirihai (click here).

Brett has now kindly allowed an image of his recent painting of a Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta, completed on the last day of May, to be used to commence ‘WADWEEK2021’, a series of seven special posts culminating in World Albatross Day, on Saturday 19 June.  Brett writes: “the bird was photographed at sea off Portland during an organized 'birding' pelagic trip.  Shy Albatross breed in Bass Strait and it can be seen year-round off Portland".  He continues "There is something incredibly exciting about creating a piece of fine art that moves people.  As with all my artwork, it is born from the initial love of a subject that ultimately leads to a field trip, whether that be a day excursion or a full-blown month-long expedition.”  The Shy Albatross, an Australian breeding endemic,  is readily seen from the clifftops around his coast, as Brett says on his Facebook page.

Brett Jarrett works on an albatross painting in his gallery

This year’s theme for World Albatross Day is “Ensuring Albatross-friendly Fisheries”.  Thousands of albatrosses, including the Australian endemic and globally Near Threatened Shy Albatross, continue to die as a result of fishing operations, getting caught on hooks, becoming entangled in nets and colliding with trawl cables, all leading to their death by drowning or injury.  However, solutions are available to address this conservation crisis.  This year’s World Albatross Day, only the second ever, aims to draw attention to the problem and to highlight best-practice solutions, such as the use of bird-scaring lines in both longline and trawl fisheries, line weighting and night setting or use of hook-shielding devices by longliners and management of offal discharge by trawlers.

Brett Jarrrett’s artwork of these threatened birds can only bring awareness to their plight.

Read ACAP’s two-page illustrated Species Summary for the Shy Albatross from here.  It is also available in French and Spanish.

With thanks to Brett Jarrett.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 13 June 2021

Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, at the invasive report launch

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, officially released South Africa’s second national report on biological invasions in Cape Town on 28 May.  “The report is the only country-level assessment worldwide that focuses specifically on biological invasions.  It places South Africa in a global leading position on the issue.”

In her speech the Minister stated thatThe Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2019 provides a comprehensive national-scale assessment of the status of biological invasions in the country [which includes sub-Antarctic Marion Island] and captures the effectiveness of the country’s response to this issue.  It collates information from foundational research and on-going monitoring programmes and interprets it in order to help policy-makers and managers improve how biological invasions are managed. The Minister noted that biological invasions pose a major threat to South Africa’s biodiversity, and to the livelihoods and health of the country’s people.

“Since the adoption of the Working For… programmes in 2005, the government has been relentless in its efforts to effectively manage alien and invasive species in the country.  To address the problem, over a billion Rand has been spent a year on projects to control biological invasions and create jobs by the Department’s Environmental Programmes.”

Although most of the alien taxa that are covered in the biological invasions report are plants, there are also mammals listed that are wreaking havoc on the environment. These include House Mice Mus musculus.  South Africa's Marion Island is overrun by introduced mice, which are having a devastating impact on the ecology of the island, and over the last two decades have taken to attacking and killing the island's globally important albatross and burrowing petrel populations. The importance and urgency of eradicating these introduced predators from the island has been recognised as a priority action, both in terms of the Management Plan for the island’s Special Nature Reserve status and the designation of the House Mouse population at Marion Island as a Category 1A species in the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations.   The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is working in partnership with BirdLife South Africa to prepare for an eradication operation, the Mouse-Free Marion Project, that will reclaim the island for its seabirds and other indigenous biodiversity.  Acording to its Project Manager, Anton Wolfaardt, eradicating mice from an island the size of Marion will not be an easy task.  However, with meticulous planning, adherence to the lessons learned from successful eradications on other sub-Antarctic islands and the implementation of best-practice approaches, it can be achieved.  Anton adds “Successful eradication of introduced mice from Marion Island will represent an internationally significant achievement, and a lasting conservation legacy for this globally important sub-Antarctic island.”

Read more on the Minister’s speech here.

Reference:

SANBI & CIB 2020.  The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2019.  Kirstenbosch: South African National Biodiversity Institute & Stellenbosch: DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology.  71 pp.

With thanks to Anton Wolfaardt, Project Manager, Mouse-Free Marion Project.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 June 2021

Licking its lips.  A feral cat feeds on the corpse of a White-capped Albatross chick on Auckland Island, photograph by Stephen Bradley

South Africa’s Marion is not the only island in the Southern Ocean with plans to eradicate its House Mice.  Over in New Zealand the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) has this month published a feasibility study to rid Auckland Island, the country’s largest sub-Antarctic land mass, of its predatory feral cats and pigs and House Mice.

“Following the successful eradication of mice from Antipodes Island, DOC and Ngāi Tahu have completed an investigation into the feasibility of eradicating pigs, cats and mice from Auckland Island in the New Zealand subantarctic region.  The Maukahuka project hopes to make the island pest-free. This would enable 514+ species to thrive with over 46 000 ha additional protected habitat.”

A feral pig foraging among washed-up kelp fronds on Auckland Island, photograph by Pete McClelland

South Africa eradicated Marion’s cats that killed many burrowing petrels several decades ago, and fortunately pigs introduced to the island by sealers in the early 19th century were soon all hunted out, leaving only the mouse as the island’s sole introduced mammalian predator.  Seems then that the New Zealand experience can materially inform the Mouse-Free Marion Project.  Already several island eradication experts based in New Zealand are members of MFM’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG).  And of course, New Zealander (and vastly experienced) Keith Springer joins the project as its Operations Manager next month – such international collaboration augers well for a successful eradication on Marion Island come 2013.

The Context and Conclusion sections from the feasibility report’s 13-page Executive Summary follow:

“Context

A project has been proposed to eradicate pigs, mice and cats from Auckland Island, the main island of the Auckland Islands in the New Zealand subantarctic islands area (NZSIA).  The project is known as Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island.  This report, completed by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC), provides a feasibility study of the project.

The purpose of a feasibility study is to understand the costs, benefits, risks and technical challenges of a project and allow informed decisions on the project design to give it the best chance of success.  It also allows a project with a high chance of failure to be ‘shelved’ before large sums of money are committed. Feasibility studies are a standard part of DOC’s eradication best practice.

In this report we assess more than 3 year’s work to understand the feasibility of eradicating pigs (Sus scrofa), mice (Mus musculus) and feral cats (Felis catus) from Auckland Island. The report addresses three key questions: why do it, can it be done and what will it take?  It also provides a reference and justification for stakeholders, outlines methodologies for the eradication of each of the target pest species, identifies the scale of the undertaking so it can be considered and resourced appropriately, and highlights the next steps needed for quality project design.  Findings from the work to date are addressed in detail in this document to inform project planning. We used an evidence-based approach and expert elicitation, including extensive field trials to reduce uncertainty and test methods. DOC’s Island Eradication Advisory Group (IEAG) and several other experts have provided technical advice and review.

Conclusion

Eradication of pigs, mice and cats from Auckland Island is worthwhile, achievable and sustainable.  Maukahuka is a priority eradication project because of its special protection status and the severity of damage from mammalian pests to this taonga. The project is complex with a long timeframe and the scale is significantly increased by the lack of pre-existing infrastructure and remoteness. However, the challenges can be planned for and overcome. The large investment is spread over the life of the project and well protected by the isolation of the site as the risk of pests returning is low. It is the largest island eradication objective for PF2050 [Predator Free 2050 Ltd] that is well defined and ready to progress. It offers an attractive opportunity for partnerships and for tangible large-scale outcomes in the medium term to create momentum and advance New Zealand’s PF2050 goal.

Several risks require high-level attention during project design and are critical to success.  Consideration of these can start early in anticipation of project initiation. Steps that can be taken immediately include initiating/continuing development of required capabilities, progressing permissions, completion of site management plans, securing funding and completing project design. These actions will aid in minimising the lag between a decision being made to proceed and achieving the readiness required to commence implementation. To make progress, a decision to proceed and a committed investment strategy are the highest priority next steps, which would allow critical path tasks to commence.

Maukahuka is a wonderful example of the ambitious approach that DOC has demonstrated in its history of acting to protect and undo damage in our most treasured but challenging places. The feasibility of this project carefully builds on the lessons from the past; we stand on the shoulders of giants. Armed with this knowledge, the wero of kaitiakitanga has been laid down to restore the mana of Auckland Island.”

The Maukahuka Project is now ‘on hold’ indefinitely due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and budgetary constraints (click here and here).  Nevertheless, the detailed feasibility report for Auckland Island will surely help guide similar studies elsewhere.

With thanks to Keith Springer.

Reference:

Department of Conservation 2021.  Technical Feasibility Study Report for Eradication of Pigs, Mice and Cats from Auckland Island..  Invercargill: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.  123 pp.A 15-page summary version of the feasibility study is also available.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 11 June 2021

Albatross Birding and Nature Tours, an eco-tour company based in Santiago, Chile that offers both at-sea and land-based tours in Chile and in neighbouring countries is running an international photographic competition to celebrate the second World Albatross Day on 19 June.  The theme of the competition is “Albatrosses, their World and the Threats they Face”.

“We want to celebrate this World Albatross Day with an international contest.  To enter just upload your best photo or a story featuring an albatross using the hashtag #wad_photocontest, tag @worldalbatrossday and @albatrossbirdinginchile and mention what category you want to participate in.  If you want to participate in the “Best Story”: category you need to include your story [up to 100 words] in the photo description.  The photo's main purpose is as a reference and to understand the context of the story.  If you want to participate in the “Best Photo” category you only need to upload your best photo or photos.”

The competition closes on 17 June.  Following an initial selection, shortlists will be voted on by a panel of judges on the 18th and the winners in each category will be announced on World Albatross Day on the 19th of June.

“This photography and story contest is part of an awareness and education initiative that seeks to showcase the beauty of a family of birds that faces multiple threats to their survival.  It is intended to exhibit the role of these birds in nature, as well as the strong emotional response they elicit in those who observe them.”

The first prize in both categories is a a pelagic trip out to sea to observe seabirds from either Valparaíso or Arica in Chile.

To find out more about the contest rules in both English and Spanish click here.

With thanks to Fernando Diaz, Albatross Birding and Nature Tours.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 June 2021