Albatrosses and petrels are facing a conservation crisis with multiple threats putting pressure on their populations including fishing, pollution, predation from invasive species and habitat destruction.

(Images left to right): A drowned Wandering Albatross caught on a tuna longline hook, photograph by Graham Robertson; Laysan Albatrosses amongst plastic debris, photograph by Steven Siegel, Marine Photobank; A bloodied Light-mantled Albatross after being attacked by invasive mice, photograph by Peter Ryan; Seabirds flock to a trawler vessel, photograph by Southern Seabird Solutions Trust

The conservation crisis facing albatrosses and petrels, and actions to address the crisis dominated discussions at ACAP’s (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels) recent Thirteenth Meeting of the Advisory Committee (AC13) hosted by the United Kingdom in Edinburgh.

In his opening address to AC13 delegates, Dr Will Lockhart, Deputy Director, International Biodiversity and Wildlife, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) acknowledged the valuable efforts underway across the world to protect albatrosses and petrels but noted that many populations were still in deep crisis and there was more that could and should be done to conserve these iconic species.

During the week-long meeting, two key points emerged: the need to continue and strengthen engagement with fisheries management bodies, governments, and fishers to ensure full implementation of ACAP's Best Practice seabird bycatch mitigation measures, and the importance of communicating the conservation crisis facing albatrosses and petrels to all ACAP audiences.

In 2019 a conservation crisis for albatrosses and petrels was declared by ACAP’s Advisory Committee. Fishing activity, particularly by longline and trawl vessels, was identified as the greatest threat facing ACAP species. Each year thousands of albatrosses and petrels die through entanglements with fishing gear and swallowing baited hooks and drowning. 

These deaths continue despite the availability of ACAP’s Best Practice Advice (BPA) guidelines which recommend combinations of mitigation measures proven to reduce seabird bycatch. The Committee were pleased to note a growing number of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and other bodies have adopted several ACAP Best Practice measures, but urged for their implementation in full. 

AC13 discussed the importance of communicating not only the “how-to” for reducing seabird bycatch, but perhaps even more importantly, “the why”, to critical audiences who can have a positive impact on ACAP species populations. 

Tatiana Neves, Advisory Committee Vice Chair said:

“ACAP has been focusing its effort into researching and refining Best Practice Advice on fisheries bycatch mitigation measures, however with many ACAP species facing a dire future, it is now time to focus on communicating why  fisheries must implement these measures that are so crucial to their very survival”.

Other threats placing significant pressures on populations of ACAP species were also discussed at the meeting including land-based predators, habitat loss, climate change, disease and pollutants (including plastic). 

The Committee recognised the vast amount of work taking place globally to address these threats, and expressed its support in particular for the Mouse-Free Marion Project. This project is committed to eradicating the invasive mice population of South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island that prey on its seabirds, including eight ACAP-listed species. 

In response to the ongoing risks posed by H5N1 avian influenza, AC13 agreed to form an ACAP Avian Influenza Expert Group on epidemiology, disease risk assessment and management which will provide ongoing advice to the Agreement. ACAP’s online Guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, will be updated as necessary when new information becomes available. 

The Committee noted that on 19 June 2024, ACAP will mark 20 years since the Agreement came into effect, offering an opportunity for ACAP to highlight key achievements such as the development of its Best Practice Advice for seabird bycatch mitigation, and reflect on the progress it has made towards conserving ACAP-listed species. 

The Thirteenth Meeting of the Advisory Committee was held 22 – 26 May 2023 with Dr Mike Double (Australia) as Chair and Tatiana Neves (Brazil) as Vice-chair. AC13 followed meetings of the Advisory Committee’s Working Groups on Seabird Bycatch (SBWG11) and Population and Conservation Status (PaCSWG7), and the first joint meeting of both Working Groups (Joint SBWG11/PaCSWG7)

AC13 was attended by ten of ACAP’s 13 Parties: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and Uruguay, with Ecuador, Norway and France unable to attend. In addition, three Range States, Canada, Namibia, and the United States of America (USA), and one APEC member economy, Chinese Taipei, participated as Observers. BirdLife International and Humane Society International (HSI) attended the meeting as Observers. 

The official meeting report is now available to download in English here, with French and Spanish translations to follow shortly.

Solutions are available: the implementation of ACAP’s seabird bycatch mitigation measures and conducting invasive species eradication and habitat restoration projects are examples of measures that can help conserve populations of ACAP-listed species. 

(Images left to right): Bird-scaring line adorned with streamers to deter seabirds from diving for the baited hooks of a long-line fishing vessel, photograph by Dima Gianuca; A bait bucket is loaded on Antipodes Island for its mouse eradication project, photograph by Keith Springer; A graphic from ACAP’s BPA Fact Sheet for Demersal & Pelagic Longline vessels: Night-setting; A fence to keep out invasive predators such as pigs, photograph by Pacific Rim Conservation

26 June 2023

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is an intergovernmental organisation that oversees the sustainable management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean. The Commission is currently advertising for a Science Manager to join their team:

“The IOTC is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Science Manager, grade P5. The Commission has four key science-based functions and esponsibilities which enable it to achieve its objectives. Briefly these include: reviewing the status of the stocks and to gather, analyse and disseminate scientific information (including catch and effort statistics and other relevant data); supporting research and development activities in respect of the stocks and fisheries covered by the IOTC; adopting, on the basis of scientific evidence, Conservation and Management Measures (CMM) to ensure the conservation of the stocks covered by the Agreement; and reviewing the economic and social aspects of the fisheries based on the stocks covered by the Agreement.

The Senior Fishery Officer (Science Manager) is tasked with ensuring that the science needs of the Commission are delivered. They will work in close cooperation with the Chairs of the IOTC Scientific Committee and its working groups on scientific and data matters of the Commission."

More information can be found on the FAO employment website, here.

The deadline for applications is 15 July 2023 at 23.59 hr (CEST).

23 June 2023

A banner-raising ceremony to celebrate World Albatross Day was held during the morning tea at the Australian Antarctic Program’s Headquarters before all the tasty cakes were devoured. Mike Double, ACAP Advisory Committee Chair, is on the left holding the end of one of the banners

“Plastic Pollution” has been the theme for this year’s World Albatross Day with celebrations taking place around the world this week. Continuing a tradition since 2020 for the fourth year, the Australian Antarctic Program of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water held a tea party and raised a banner to mark the day at its headquarters in Kingston, Tasmania. This year a Bake an Albatross Cake competition was the highlight. Several entries were submitted including a chick surrounded by plastic debris, a trio of albatrosses in a sea of plastic, a chick being offered tasty plastic morsels, and the winning entry, a life-sized Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans with its wings spread made up entirely of cinnamon scroll cakes.

Ready, steady, choose your bun. A life-sized Wandering Albatross made entirely of cinnamon scroll cakes baked by Rob King was the prize winner. “Luckily our cake creations are biodegradable and safe to eat”

Jonathon Barrington, Australia’s National Contact Point for the Agreement, has written to ACAP Latest News: “Plastic pollution affects albatrosses with several Australian species impacted. In Australia’s waters plastics are found in beach-washed, dead albatrosses including seemingly innocuous plastics, such as party balloons. A newly described plastic-caused disease - Plasticosis - affects Flesh-footed Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes from Lord Howe Island in Australia and is of particular concern. This fibrotic disease may well affect other seabirds including albatrosses. We can all help by ensuring that plastic fragments and pieces do not end up in the ocean.”

Albatross chick on its nest surrounded by plastic debris, baked by Natalie Klein-Schiphorst

Three albatrosses swimming in a sea of blue plastic, baked by Alison Cleary

Albatross parents offer plastics to their chick, baked by Andrea Polanowski

Over in Hobart, the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment also joined in celebrations of World Albatross Day 2023 on the 19th with an afternoon tea and a tasty albicake of their own.

The Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment “albicake” depicts a Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta, endemic to Tasmania
Photographs from Jonathon Barrington and by Wendy Pyper

View photographs of all the cakes baked for the “Great Albicake Bake Off”, held as part of the inaugural World Albatross Day in 2020 here.

With thanks to Jonathon Barrington, International & Antarctic Connections, Australian Antarctic Program.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 21 June 2023

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO)

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) has a vacancy for an experienced Data Manager to join their team in Wellington, New Zealand. Candidates will possess excellent data/database management abilities, have a solid understanding of fisheries management and/or fisheries science and demonstrate strong interpersonal skills. 

An illustrative depiction of the Area of application of the SPRFMO Convention; SPRFMO website

In addition to the day-to-day data management responsibilities and interactions, this is an exciting and demanding time to be the SPRFMO Data Manager as the organisation has just gone through a process to solicit Request for Proposals for a new data base provider. This provides a great opportunity for the data base manager to seize the opportunity to enhance the SPRFMO database to address new and emerging data requirements, to facilitate the integration of our various data holdings, improve automated reporting and analysis, as well as investigate the application of new web tools/apps to simplify and streamline the data collection and reporting processes.

The deadline for applications is the 28 July 2023. 

Information on the position is available from the SPRFMO website at, https://www.sprfmo.int/news/current-news/vacancy-sprfmo-data-manager-2/.

21 June 2023