Following fund raising from the public by the Million Dollar Mouse campaign, along with other support, in July 2016 New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic Antipodes Island was aerially treated with poison bait in an endeavour to rid it of introduced House Mice Mus musculus.

A return expedition has been on the island this year searching for signs of mice, using trained dogs and other techniques such as ink-tracking cards, wax tags and chew cards. The expedition has recently returned from the island with the news that it found no mice or signs of them.

As a consequence the island has been formally declared as mouse free by New Zealand’s Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage on the advice of the Department of Conservation’s Island Eradication Advisory Group. “Special plants and wildlife, including 21 species of breeding seabirds [including seven ACAP-listed species of albatrosses and petrels), more than 150 species of insects - 17 per cent of them only found on the Antipodes; 21 uncommon plant species and four unique land birds are found on the Antipodes Island. They can now thrive with mice no longer preying on the insects or competing with the land birds”.

This adds the Antipodes to a steadily growing list of seabird islands in the Southern Ocean where alien mammals have been eradicated: chapeau New Zealanders!

A pair of globally Endangered Antipodean Albatrosses Diomedea antipodensis on Antipodes Island, photograph by Erica Sommer

The next task for New Zealand will be to remove the suite of alien mammals (domestic pigs Sus scrofa, feral cats Felis catus and mice) on its sub-Antarctic Auckland Island. Planning for this has already commenced (click here).

Read more and view photographs of the successful eradication exercise here and access previous postings to ACAP Latest News on the eradication project here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 27 March 2018

The Hookpod is a reusable hook-shielding device that encloses the point and barb of a longline hook in a polycarbonate case, making it impossible for seabirds to become hooked when closed.  Upon reaching a depth of 10-15 m water pressure fires an internal piston which causes the device to open, releasing the hook to begin fishing. The Hookpod has a LED built into the casing, so there is no need to use chemical light sticks, which are often discarded at sea once used.

Hookpod in the closed position protecting the hook

Hookpod in the open position after the hook is released

The Hookpod company now plans to produce 20 000 pods and distribute them in fisheries in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa.  Working with the Brazilian NGO Projeto Albatroz it is intended to equip five fishing vessels to use hookpods under commercial conditions in in Brazilian waters (click here).

Use of the hookpod has been assessed by ACAP to meet its performance requirements and is therefore considered to represent best practice in pelagic longline fisheries (click here).

Read more on hookpods here.

Selected Literature:

ACAP 2017. ACAP Review and Best Practice Advice for Reducing the Impact of Pelagic Longline Fisheries on Seabirds. Reviewed at the Tenth Meeting of the Advisory Committee Wellington, New Zealand 11 – 15 September 2017. 26 pp.

Sullivan, B.J., Kibel, B., Kibel, P., Yates, O., Potts, J.M., Ingham, B., Domingo, A., Gianuca, D., Jiménez, S., Lebepe, B., Maree, B.A., Neves, T., Peppes, F., Rasehlomi, T., Silva-Costa, A. & Wanless, R.M. 2017. At-sea trialling of the Hookpod: a ‘one-stop’ mitigation solution for seabird bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries. Animal Conservation DOI: 10.1111/acv.12388.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 March 2018

The eradication of rodents on Australia’s Lord Howe Island, expected to take place this year has been delayed until 2019. The planned eradication will afford the inhabited island’s breeding seabirds, such as Flesh-footed Puffinus carneipes and Wedge-tailed P. pacificus Shearwaters, protection from Black Rats Rattus rattus and House Mice Mus musculus.

Flesh-footed Shearwater, photograph by Barry Baker

A Facebook post from the Lord Howe Island Board with statements from Penny Holloway, Chief Executive Officer and Jaclyn Pearson, Assistant Project Manager (Community) on its rodent Eradication Project follows in full:

“Today [20 March] at a Public meeting, the LHI Board voted to delay implementation of the LHI Rodent Eradication Program (REP) until winter 2019, with a change in methodology to an increase in bait stations in the settlement area.

The project is still viable and able to achieve its objectives to remove rodents and restore the islands. The decision to delay was based on two factors, firstly the new application for a Minor Use Permit from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) is still under assessment. Despite representations about a decision being made expeditiously, the latest advice from the APVMA is that a decision on the new application may not be made until May 2018.

Without the APVMA licence in hand, we are unable to plan final logistics that meet the approval conditions. Delays in receiving the permit increase the risk of failure as the operation cannot be planned to the standard required. This made it impractical to proceed with the project in the current time frame.

Secondly, although there is a high level of support for the REP, there continues to be opposition within the community. Ongoing consultation has shown that whilst some residents are opposed to the REP, they would allow access to their property for baiting upon commencement of the project. Several residents are refusing to allow access for baiting during the REP, however based on feedback from some members of the community, an acceptable compromise may be to change the methodology in the settlement area to more bait stations. This will largely reduce bait in the open of the settlement area, and therefore reduce people’s concerns relating to this aspect. It may also present an opportunity for further discussions regarding livestock and poultry. However this change to the methodology requires more time and resources on the ground during the eradication and more time invested in planning, to ensure the project meets the required standards.

The decision was therefore made by the LHI Board (with a 5:2 vote) to delay the implementation of the LHI Rodent Eradication Program (REP) until winter 2019, with a change in methodology to an increase in bait stations in the settlement area.

This may be disappointing and surprising news for many who were hoping the project would be implemented this year, but now, more than ever we need your support and positivity to focus on our conservation goal of removing all rodents from Lord Howe Island. Like me, you will understand that when operational risks are too high, it is best to take more time to reduce the risks and be as prepared as possible to give any project the highest chance of success.

The REP team want to emphasise that the project is still viable and a wonderful opportunity for the island. The funding is in place for another year and we are committed to finding acceptable compromise for community members regarding concerns on the baiting methodology. I have listened to resident's concerns for the past three months and I am sure we can work together to find common ground, because we all agree that rodents need to be removed. I am certain with more bait stations replacing hand broadcast, I can help you to feel better about the safety of your family and pets - replicating the methods you are currently using.

I cannot change the methodology of the aerial baiting and I am happy to continue to talk to you about why. I will also continue to alleviate concerns regarding the myths that have been so deep-routed for many years – including continuing to explain how brodificoum is practically insoluble in water and therefore why the Toxicologists, the NSW Chief Scientist and Dr Frank Reed back this methodology. With the legacy of conservation on Lord Howe you should be proud of your continuing efforts – let’s just keep going and do it to the best of our ability. Please contact me for further information at anytime”

Access previous ALN postings on the Lord Howe eradication project here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 March 2018

Since 2015 introduced House Mice Mus musculus have been attacking breeding Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis Albatrosses (both globally Near Threatened) on Midway Atoll in the North Pacific, causing widespread injury, nest abandonment and death (click here).

Mouse attacks on Midway albatrosses during the 2015/16 breeding season, photographs by US Fish & Wildlife Service and Robert Taylor

In response the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has this week released a draft environmental assessment to protect the seabirds of Midway Atoll’s Sand Island from mice for public comment.

The document’s overview of the proposed action follows:

“The proposed action is to eradicate house mice from Sand Island in Midway Atoll, by delivering a lethal dose of a rodenticide to every rodent. This will involve the aerial and hand broadcast of Broadifacoum-25D Conservation, a pelleted rodenticide bait intended for conservation purposes for the control or eradication of invasive rodents on islands or vessels.

The proposed action would take place during the summer dry season, when mouse food sources are scarce and their population is typically declining. This will maximize the opportunity for mice to ingest the rodenticide.

The proposed action also includes protective measures that will help avoid or minimize any impacts to non-target species. For example, conducting the operation during the summer will minimize the risk of rain or wind washing bait pellets containing rodenticide into the ocean. Bait will not be aerially broadcast near the beaches or marine environment on Sand Island, minimizing the chance that it enters into the ocean or impacts marine species. Additionally, Broadifacoum-25D Conservation breaks down quickly in the marine environment.

Summer is also the time of year when relatively few migratory and shore birds are present – lessening the chance that they will be adversely impacted by the project. Seabirds eat at sea, not by foraging on the island and are not likely to be impacted by the treatment. However, the proposed action would take place once seabird nesting season has concluded, chicks have fledged, and before breeding season begins, minimizing the disturbance from the project to the colony.”

The draft document and information on how to submit comments (deadline 20 April 2018) can be accessed here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 March 2018