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title: "Cape Verde Shearwater: a little studied species at risk from human exploitation"
---

# Cape Verde Shearwater: a little studied species at risk from human exploitation

The [Near Threatened](http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=30221) Cape Verde Shearwater *Calonectris edwardsii* is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, off the Atlantic coast of Africa.  Along with eight other shearwaters of the genus *Puffinus* and *Calonectris* it has been identified by ACAP as a potential candidate for listing within the Agreement (Cooper & Baker 2008, Cooper 2010).

 The Cape Verde Shearwater's population has been estimated as only 10 000 pairs and is suspected to be decreasing.  It faces threats from exploitation of chicks for human consumption (up to 5000 annually, although uncontrolled exploitation may have been largely halted in the last two years) and potentially at least from longline fishing mortality, although evidence appears lacking (Nunes & Hazevoet 2001, Cooper *et al.* 2003, Brooke 2004).

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Shearwaters/Cape_Verde/cape_verde_shearwaters_curral_velho_cape_verde_jacob_gonzalez-solis.jpg "Cape Verde Shearwaters.  Photograph by Jacob Gonzalez-solis")

 **Selected publications on Cape Verde Shearwaters, 2000-2010**

 Brooke, M. [de L.] 2004. *Albatrosses and Petrels across the World*.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 Cooper, J. 2010.  A brief review of the conservation status of shearwaters *Calonectris* and *Puffinus*.  [ACAP AC5 Inf 15](https://www.acap.aq/english/english/advisory-committee/ac5/ac5-information-papers).

 Cooper, J. & Baker, G.B. 2008.  Identifying candidate species for inclusion within the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.  [*Marine Ornithology*36: 1-8](http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/36_1/36_1_1-8.pdf).

 Cooper, J., Baccetti, N., Belda, E.J., Borg, J.J., Oro, D., Papaconstantinou, C & Sánchez, A. 2003.  Seabird mortality from longline fishing in the Mediterranean and Macaronesian waters: a review and a way forward.  [*Scientia Marina* 67, Supplement 2: 57-64](http://www.icm.csic.es/scimar/index.php/secId/7/IdNum/71/).

 Gómez-Díaz, E. & González-Solís, J. 2007.  Geographic assignment of seabirds to their origin: combining morphologic, genetic, and biogeochemical analyses.  [*Ecological Applications* 17: 1484-1498](http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/06-1232.1).

 Gómez-Díaz, E., González-Solís, J., Peinado, M.A., Page, R.D.M. 2006.  Phylogeography of *Calonectris*shearwaters using molecular and morphometric data.  [*Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution* 41: 322-332](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WNH-4K0MF61-2&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2006&_rdoc=8&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%236963%232006%23999589997%23634205%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=6963&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=23&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=0f91ce092757653a9749393d17b65295&searchtype=a).

 Gómez-Díaz, E., González-Solís, J., Peinado. M.A. & Page, R.D.M. 2007.   Lack of host-dependent genetic structure in ectoparasites of *Calonectris*shearwaters.  [*Molecular Ecology* 16: 5204-5215](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03539.x/abstract).

 Gómez-Díaz, E., Navarro, J. & González-Solís, J. 2008.  Ectoparasite community structure on three closely related seabird hosts: a multiscale approach combining ecological and genetic data.  [*Ecography* 31: 477-489](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0906-7590.2008.05330.x/abstract).

 González-Solís, J., Felicísimo, A., Fox, J.W., Afanasyev, V., Kolbeinsson, Y. & Muñoz, J. 2009.  Influence of sea surface winds on shearwater migration detours.  [*Marine Ecology Progress Series* 391: 221-230](http://www.int-res.com/articles/theme/m391p221.pdf).

 Lima, P.C., Grantsau, R., Lima, R.C.F.R. & dos Santos, S.S. 2002.  Notas sobre os registros brasileiros de *Calonectris edwardsii* (Oustalet, 1883) e *Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca (*Moquin-Tandon, 1841) e primero registro de *Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis* Murphy, 1936 para o Brasil.  [*Ararajuba* 10: 263-265](http://www.ararajuba.org.br/sbo/ararajuba/artigos/Volume102/ara102CBRO2.pdf).

 Nunes, M. & Hazevoet, C. 2001.  Cape Verde's seabirds in trouble.  *World Birdwatch* 23: 24-26.

  Patteson, J.B. 2004.  First record of Cape Verde Shearwater (*Calonectris edwardsii*) for North America.  [*North American Birds* 58: 469-473](https://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/NAB/v058n04/p00468-p00473.pdf).

  Perry, M.V., Bugoni, L. & da Silva Fonseca, V.S. 2000.  Occurrence of the Cape Verde Shearwater *Calonectris edwardsii* on the Brazilian coast.  *Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club* 120: 198-200.

  Ramos, R., González-Solís, J., Forero, M.G., Moreno, R., Gómez-Díaz, E., Ruiz, Z. & Hobson, K.A. 2009.  The influence of breeding colony and sex on mercury, selenium and lead levels and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures in summer and winter feathers of *Calonectris* shearwaters.  [*Oecologia* 159: 345-354](http://www.springerlink.com/content/u23l107q14022r35/fulltext.pdf).

  Roscales, J., Muñoz-Arnanz, J.,González-Solís, J. & Jiménez, B. 2010.  Geographical PCB and DDT patterns in shearwaters (*Calonectris* sp.) breeding across the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean archipelagos.  [*Environmental Science & Technology* 44: 2328-2334](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es902994y).

 Note:  PDFs of some of the above publications may be found at [http://www.gonzalez-solis.com/publications/index.php](http://www.gonzalez-solis.com/publications/index.php).

 With thanks to Jacob González-Solís for information.

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 9 December 2010*