First proposed in 1992 as World Ocean Day, it was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 as World Oceans Day hosted by the UN’s Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs. Its theme for 8 June 2023 is “Planet Ocean: tides are changing”.

“The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support. With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life. The UN is joining forces with decision-makers, indigenous leaders, scientists, private sector executives, civil society, celebrities, and youth activist[s] to put the ocean first.”

World Ocean Day (without the ‘s’) is centered around activities by and for youth. In 2022 over 10 000 organizations and businesses organized over 50 000 events in 140 countries. Its website states that “World Ocean Day rallies the world for ocean and climate action on 8 June and throughout the year. We work in partnership with youth leaders, zoos, aquariums, museums, and other youth-focused organizations, as well as a huge range of diverse organizations and businesses from all sectors in a growing global network. Together, we effectively engage the public, inform policymakers, and unite the world to protect and restore our shared ocean and create a stable climate. Join the growing global movement in June and continue to grow the engagement and action year-round!”

In South Africa, a Party to the Albatross and Petrel Agreement, an Open Day for school children is being held today on World Oceans Day (and tomorrow) on its Antarctic research and supply vessel, the S.A. Agulhas II in Cape Town’s harbour, with 1000 learners expected. The South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy will be leading the World Oceans Day 2023 commemoration aboard the ship (click here).

Over the weekend the ship will be open to some 4000 members of the general public. Among the exhibits being held is one from the Mouse-Free Marion Project, that aims to rid Marion Island of its introduced House Mice that have taken to killing seabirds, including ACAP-listed albatrosses. ACAP’s Emeritus Information Officer will be on site helping to man the display and interacting with the youth that attend.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 June 2023

Figure 1 as described in the paper: a Location of the study site: Bird Island, South Georgia. The yellow rectangle shows the location and extent of plots shown in the lower panes. b Location of first and last landings (wet bouts) during the foraging trips of seabirds tracked between 2008 and 2019 during the incubation (‘INC’), brood-guard (‘BR’) and post-guard (‘PB’) breeding stages. BBA black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris), GHA grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma), LMA light-mantled albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata), WA wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and WCP white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis)

Eleanor W. M. Kowalska O’Neil (Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Polar Biology on the rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels in the South Atlantic.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Seabirds often spend time on the water in the vicinity of their breeding colonies at the start or end of foraging trips, which may be for bathing, social interaction, information transfer, or to reduce predation risk for small petrels that prefer to return to land in darkness. Although such behaviour (hereafter rafting) is common, there are few data on variation in its incidence or timing across species, or analyses of relationships with intrinsic or extrinsic factors such as breeding stage (reflecting central-place foraging constraints) or weather. Here, we use GPS and immersion data collected over multiple years at Bird Island, South Georgia, to investigate rafting behaviour of four albatross and one burrow-nesting petrel species. Nearly all tracked birds (89%) landed within 10 km of the colony at the start of foraging trips for ~ 30 min, whereas only 17% did so at the end, suggesting they likely use rafting mainly for plumage maintenance after extended breeding shifts on land. Rafting duration, distance and bearing from the colony varied markedly according to species, wind speeds and period of the day (daylight vs. darkness), which may reflect differences in foraging direction, time constraints, degree of plumage soiling, diel activity patterns, or the requirement for high wind speeds for efficient flight. Given that all the study populations are decreasing, and most individuals make extensive use of nearshore waters during the breeding season, effective marine spatial planning is required that eliminates or mitigates human risks around their colonies.”

Reference:

Kowalska O’Neil, E.W.M., Frankish, C.K. & Phillips, R.A. 2023. Rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels at South Georgia. Polar Biol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03146-4

7 May 2023

Newell’s Shearwater, photograph by Lindsay Young

Lindsay Young (Pacific Rim Conservation, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science on creating a safe breeding space for two of Hawaii’s threatened procellariiform seabirds.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Newell’s Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis newelli; NESH) and Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis; HAPE) are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and have declined by 94% and 78%, respectively, since 1993 due to habitat degradation, predation by introduced predators, collisions with powerlines and light attraction. Given the challenges in protecting nesting birds in their rugged montane habitats, it has long been desirable to create populations of both species in more accessible locations that offer a higher level of protection. We translocated 110 HAPE and 86 NESH chicks over a six-year period from 2015-2020 to a 2.5-ha predator-free enclosure on Kaua`i, Hawai`i. In addition to invasive plant removal and native plant out-planting, we installed 76 artificial burrows to provide nesting sites. Chicks were tube fed 1-20% of their body weight daily in the form of a slurry comprised of squid, fish, salmon oil, and Pedialyte. All NESH and 96% (N=106) of HAPE survived to fledging. Eight HAPE, including three breeding pairs, and one NESH have returned as adults to the translocation site and HAPE have bred at the site, resulting in the first predator-free breeding colony of this species.”

The predator-proof fence erected as part of the Nihoku Ecosystem Restoration Project on the island of Kauai to create a safe breeding space for translocated Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels

Reference:

Young, L.C., Kohley, C.R., VanderWerf, E.A., Fowlke, L., Casillas, D., Dalton, M., Knight, M., Pesque, A.,  Dittmar, E.M., Raine, A,F. & Vynne, M. 2023. Successful translocation of Newell’s Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels to create a new, predator free breeding colony. Frontiers in Conservation Science 4. doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1177789.

06 June 2023

The United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day, being celebrated today, has made a call for global solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign Beat Plastic Pollution.

“The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet. Not only that, what is less known is that microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Many plastic products contain hazardous additives, which may pose a threat to our health.”

World Environment Day 2023 is being hosted by Côte d'Ivoire in partnership with the Netherlands. According to the World Environment Day website, Côte d'Ivoire is showing leadership in the campaign against plastic pollution. Since 2014, it has banned the use of plastic bags, supporting a shift to reusable packaging.

At a session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) in February 2022 a resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The instrument is to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic and is now being developed by an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee. The Second Session of the committee, held in Paris, France, has very recently concluded.

'Plastic Lament' by Patricia Latas depicts a Back-footed Albatross family surrounded by plastic artefacts; poster design by Bree Forrer

This year’s theme for World Environment Day is mirrored by World Albatross Day (‘WAD2023’) with its own theme of Plastic Pollution. Albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters are affected by a range of pollutants, of which plastics, whether ingested and then fed to chicks or causing entanglements, are certainly the most visible and well known to the general public. ACAP is producing freely downloadable artwork and photo posters, species infographics and logos that may be used to support WAD2023 and the cause of albatross conservation by interested bodies. All are being produced in ACAP’s three official languages of English, French and Spanish; most are also being made available in Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. A music video featuring artworks on the theme of plastic pollution affecting albatrosses is also available.

With thanks to Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for its collaboration with ACAP for WAD2023.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 June 2023