Black-browed Albatrosses; photo by L. Campioni

Stephanie Good (Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, UK) and colleagues have published in the journal Endangered Species Research on best practices in assessing and managing seabird bycatch in fisheries.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Many seabird populations are declining, with fisheries bycatch as one of the greatest threats. Explicit risk criteria should be used to identify whether bycatch is a problem for particular species and fisheries, but these are often poorly defined. A variety of methods are used to determine the risk that a specific fishery is having an unsustainable impact on a seabird population. Up until October 2022, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) applied a general semi-quantitative productivity susceptibility analysis (PSA), a tool that has also been used widely by other management agencies for diverse taxa. Given the need to ensure fisheries risk assessments are robust and consistent, we examined how general PSAs perform when applied in 2 situations with good information on both the seabird population and fisheries bycatch rates and compare the outputs with those from 2 accessible and more quantitative tools: potential biological removal and population viability analysis. We found that risk scoring using the previous MSC version of the PSA was less robust and precautionary than using other approaches, given the steep declines observed in some seabird breeding populations. We make recommendations on how to select attributes for species-specific PSAs and, depending on the data available, identify the most appropriate risk assessment method to achieve a given objective. These should help ensure more consistent assessment and prioritisation of seabird bycatch issues, and improved ecosystem-based management of fisheries.”

Reference:

Good SD, Gummery M, McLennan S, Dewar K, Votier SC, Phillips RA (2023) Evaluating the appropriateness of risk-based approaches to assess the sustainability of fishery impacts on seabirds. Endang Species Res 51:161-172. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01251 

4 August 2023

The new colour bands that are being used for the first time instead of the old three-colour combinations

On World Nature Conservation Day (28 July) all 33 chicks of the current breeding season in New Zealand’s mainland colony of globally Endangered and Nationally Vulnerable Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head were individually banded with alphanumeric plastic bands to allow for their easy identification when they return as pre-breeding adolescents. Males received a black band and females a yellow. The chicks also received a uniquely numbered stainless-steel band on their opposite legs. This season the letter for all the chicks is D, from now on each year will have its own letter on the colour bands. “Manaaki”, this season’s Royal Cam chick, was banded with black colour band D36 on his left leg, with the metal band on the right.

 Manaaki gets his bling at 189 days of age, video captured and edited by Lady Hawk

Big unit! Department of Conservation rangers Sharyn Broni (left) and Colin band Manaaki

Use of alphanumeric colour bands puts this long-studied colony on a par with most if not all other albatross monitoring colonies around the world; it should improve the quality of data collection over the old three-colour combinations, where the loss or fading of a band is known to cause identification problems. It also allows, especially when combined with colour options, for a far greater number of combinations.

Information, photographs and video from the Royal Cam Albatross Group New Zealand Facebook page.

One of this season’s Northern Royal Albatross chicks at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head approaching fledging regurgitated a bolus of squid beaks and plastic bottle caps and fragments, photograph by Julia, Department of Conservation Ranger, Taiaroa Head

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 August 2023

Assisting in the species recovery of Antipodean Albatrosses is a key focus of the role. An Antipodean Albatross off North Cape, New Zealand; photo by Kirk Zufelt

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (NZDOC) are seeking a full-time Data Analyst Seabirds to join their passionate team in Wellington, New Zealand.
 
The advertisement for the position can be found at the NZDOC website, here, and an extract can be found below:
 
Data Analyst Seabirds

• Take your reporting and analytical skills to the next level to help safeguard New Zealand's Seabirds
• Four weeks + three days annual leave per year, flexible working supported
• Permanent, full-time role based in Wellington

You will be responsible for supporting the build of robust, fit for purpose data and analytical tools and applying these to data collated to improve data management of seabirds, with a particular focus on Antipodean albatross. You will work closely with the Science Advisors, the Bycatch and Threats Manager, and the international team in growing international awareness, engagement, and action among fishing nations to reduce seabird bycatch in international waters, through a range of collaborative, partnership, and technical initiatives.
 
The position will be focussed on: 

• providing analysis on seabird bycatch in priority ocean areas/fisheries for focal seabird species
• ensuring collation, archiving and publication of Antipodean Albatross tracking data to assist the species recovery effort
• supporting spatial analysis of data and fishing efforts to support recovery efforts
• implementation of a pilot study utilising cloud-based data archiving, databases and to test defined decision support tools
• developing options to improve data archiving, publication, and the utility of defined spatial decision-support tools
• building and maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders and coordinate cross-agency initiatives

 
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Sunday 13 August 2023.

For further information, contact Kris Ramm, Marine Bycatch and Threats Manager, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2 August 2023

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Airborne! A translocated Black-footed chick close to fledging takes a leap on Guadalupe Island, photograph by J.A. Soriano, Conservación de Islas (GECI)

The third year of a binational project to establish a breeding colony of  Black-footed Albatrosses Phoebastria nigripes (BFAL) by the translocation of eggs and chicks from the USA’s Hawaii islands to Mexico’s Guadalupe Island has been successfully completed with 32 chicks fledging (click here). This brings the number of Black-footed Albatrosses fledging from Guadalupe over the three years of the project to 93.

“In a pioneer conservation project, Pacific Rim Conservation, Conservación de Islas and governmental institutions from USA and Mexico, have worked together to restore a nesting population of BFAL in Guadalupe Island, providing an alternative refuge and giving hope to the species to survive climate change effects.”

Eggs arrive! Celebrating the international translocation project with a banner on Guadalupe, photograph from Pacific Rim Conservation

According to Pacific Rim Conservation, translocated Black-footed Albatrosses should start returning as young adults to Guadalupe Island by 2026. Based on the environmental NGO’s translocation efforts with Black-footed and Laysan P. immutabilis Albatrosses in the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, pair formation and then egg laying should follow in the next couple of years.

The Mexican project partner, Conservación de Islas (GECI), describes the the translocation project in Spanish

Read more about the Guadalupe translocation project from here.

Mexico is not a Party to the Agreement but has attended some ACAP meetings as a breeding range state.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 August 2023