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The latest edition of the islandNet Newsletter (No. 5 of August 2010) carries an illustrated article by Project Manager Keith Springer on the this winter's unfortunate failure to compete the aerial poison bait drop on Australia's sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, due to unrelieved poor, non-flying weather.

This disappointing news is tempered by the intention to try again next year:  "A number of important lessons were learnt during the 2010 winter, and will enhance the planning for next year's aerial baiting program.  Baiting team size will be increased, some improvements made to procedural aspects, some amendments made to applications of bait, and additional effort put into searching for and removing dead animals to reduce the incidence of non-target species mortality."

The islandNet Newsletter is an initiative of Australia's Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre.  The islandNet network and its newsletter were recently established by the IA CRC with funding support from the Australian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, primarily to help facilitate the conservation management of Australia's offshore islands.  Earlier editions of the newsletter may be found by going to http://www.feral.org.au/islandnet/newsletter/.

Click here to obtain a weekly update on activities at Macquarie Is1and.

Let us hope that by the time of the next meeting of ACAP's Advisory Committee, scheduled to be held in Ecuador in August 2011, Australia will be able to bring news of a successful eradication of Macquarie's alien rabbits and rodents, and that, as consequence, the future will have improved for the island's seabirds, including its ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels. 

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 August 2010