Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

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Read about recent developments and findings in procellariiform science and conservation relevant to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels in ACAP Latest News.

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Conservation of shearwaters and petrels in the Portuguese Macaronesian islands

The Portuguese Macaronesian Islands (Azores and Madeira) are vital breeding areas for several species of seabirds, including 85% of the world population of Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis.

Cory's Shearwater ashore, photograph by Paulo Catry

On the Portuguese Azores’ smallest island, Corvo, the LIFE project Safe Islands for Seabirds has evaluated the impact of invasive rodents, feral cats, goats and sheep on Cory’s Shearwater (85% of the species’ population breeds on the Azores and Madeira Archipelagos).

This project found that cats caused the most harm, destroying 84% of all nests and eggs damaged by predators. Habitat restoration and the construction of Europe’s first predator-proof fence were among the measures used to mitigate the impact on seabirds.

Light pollution – a major threat to juvenile seabirds – is an issue where SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal) is taking action in Macaronesia. Over the last 20 years in the Azores and five years in Madeira a campaign involving volunteers, local organisations, city halls and SPEA has helped regional governments rescue and release thousands of Cory’s Shearwater juveniles impacted by artificial lights.

Both of Portuguese Madeira’s threatened petrels, the Endangered Zino’s Petrel Pterodroma madeira and the Vulnerable Desertas Petrel P. deserta, have been a top priority for SPEA (in collaboration with the Madeira Natural Park). SPEA has been working to control or eradicate invasive species such as cats, rabbits and mice, which efforts have contributed to the recovery of the two petrels.

SPEA has also published an inventory of its marine IBA (important Bird Area) network (click here).

ACAP and CCSBT Executive Secretaries sign a Memorandum of Understanding in South Korea

The 22nd Meeting of the Extended Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) was held last week from 12-15 October in Yeosu, South Korea. The Agreement was represented at the meeting by its Executive Secretary, Warren Papworth (click here).

Three items of considerable importance to the work of the Agreement were discussed at the Yesou meeting. The first was the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations. The objective of the MoU is to facilitate cooperation between the CCSBT and ACAP Secretariats with a view to supporting efforts to minimise the incidental by-catch of albatrosses and petrels listed in Annex 1 of the Agreement caused by fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus maccoyii (SBT). The Extended Commission noted the valuable contributions of ACAP to the work of the CCSBT and approved the signing of the MoU.

ACAP Executive Secretary Warren Papworth and CCSBT Executive Secretary Robert Kennedy co-sign the MoU between the two bodies

The second item was the proposal from Australia for a binding Resolution to mitigate the impact on seabirds of fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna. The CCSBT currently has a non-binding requirement for its Members to follow the conservation measures for ecologically related species (ERS) adopted by other tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (tRFMOs). It was noted by some CCSBT Members that the CCSBT is the only tuna RFMO without a comprehensive set of binding measures to mitigate the impacts of fishing on seabirds.

All CCSBT Members expressed concern about their fisheries interactions with ecologically related species and expressed their wish to see reductions in the level of these interactions. There was general support for the Australian proposal with the exception of one Member, which had several concerns with it. Consensus could not be reached on the Australian proposal and it therefore was not adopted.

The third item of relevance to seabird conservation was the adoption by the Extended Commission of a proposal from Japan for the CCSBT to develop Minimum Performance Requirements (MPRs) for ecologically related species. Although the Minimum Performance Requirements are non-legally binding, they request Members to:

a) develop, document and implement rules, operating systems, and processes to meet their CCSBT obligations; and

b) report on the effectiveness of the rules, operating systems, and processes to the Commission through the Compliance Committee.

This mechanism will enable the Compliance Committee to review compliance of SBT vessels with ERS conservation requirements and for the outcome of these reviews to be considered in the Commission's Performance Review process.

The adoption of the MoU and the MPRs by the CCSBT Extended Commission are welcome developments and will allow further strengthening of the Commission's ability to reduce interactions with ecologically related species in the Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery.

Warren Papworth, ACAP Executive Secretary, 21 October 2015

Little Shearwaters likely to be breeding on New Zealand’s Raoul Island after the eradication of introduced mammals

Recent field work on New Zealand’s Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands strongly suggests that Kermadec Little Shearwaters Puffinus assimilis kermadecensis are now breeding ashore.

Prior to the eradication of introduced mammals the shearwater had not been found breeding on the island so it can be presumed they had disappeared by the 19th century; rats Rattus spp. and feral Domestic Cats Felis catus were eradicated on 29-km² Raoul between 2002 and 2006 by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

The finding of active smallish burrows in the forest at Wilson’s Point led to the deployment of a remote recorder which resulted in Kermadec Little Shearwaters being found to be “vocalising strongly around 8 to 9.30 pm each night and then near dawn around 5 am with scattered calls between”. An overnight stay then detected the presence of shearwaters overhead and on the ground, along with a Kermadec White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina albiclunis. Both subspecies are endemic to the Kermadec Islands.

The numbers of Kermadec Little Shearwaters on the island are estimated as being at least 50 pairs but likely over a 100 pairs.

Read the whole account here.

Kermadec Little Shearwater, photograph courtesy of the Auckland Museum Kermadec Expedition

Raoul Island has recently been included within a new and large marine protected area (click here).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 October 2015

Fledgling Newell’s Shearwaters downed by light pollution get a ceremonial release in Hawaii

Seven Endangered Newell’s Shearwaters Puffinus newelli or ‘A‘o fledglings that had been rescued after being grounded by artificial lights were released by school children from two Hawaiian schools on the island of Kauai last week as part of the annual E Ho‘opomaika‘i ‘ia na Manu ‘A‘o (Cultural Release of the Native Newell’s Shearwater) event.

This is the eighth year the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project has teamed up with the Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) project of the Kauai Humane Society to give children the chance to be a part of the release of rehabilitated ‘A‘o fledglings. Fourth-grade students from Wilcox Elementary School and Island School participated in the blessing and releases.

Newell's Shearwater, photograph by Eric Vanderwerf

A 2015 Newell's Shearwater fledgling gets released by school teacher Rhonda Cabello, photograph by Constance Johnson

Sabra Kukua, a Hawaiian Studies teacher facilitated the ceremony: “It’s not just our island, as human beings, but it’s for the birds and the fish and the plants, too.” “It’s extremely important to expose the kids to these birds that they probably won’t otherwise see because they’re nocturnal and they live out in the mountains, this is a really good opportunity to see an endangered bird up close.” A chant, used every year at the event, speaks about the beauty of Kauai and the Eastern coast that asks for protection for the birds so that they can live long, happy lives.

“There’s no better way to get kids to care, than by exposing them to the birds,” said Constance Johnson, a staff member with Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project. “It’s about letting people know that their actions make a difference.”

A feral cat is filmed removing a Streaked Shearwater chick from its burrow

Tatsuya Shiozaki (Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Japan) and colleagues have published in Japanese in the Japanese Journal of Ornithology on a feral cat Felis catus entering the metre-long burrow of a Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas and removing the chick. The article also describes egg predation by a Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos and chick predation by a Japanese Rat Snake Elaphe climacophora.

Feral cats prey upon shearwater chicks, photograph by Jerome Legrand

Click here to view the Infrared video camera film from August 2012 of the predation event.

Reference:

Shiozaki, T., Shirai, M., Osugi, M., Yamamoto, M. & Yoda, M.. 2014. Predation by feral cat on Streaked Shearwater chicks on Awashima. Japanese Journal of Ornithology 63: 75-78 [in Japanese].

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 October 2015