White-chinned Petrel ashore; photograph by Peter Ryan

Anaïs Dasnon (Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Villiers en Bois, France) and colleagues have published open access in the Journal of Applied Ecology on the effects of bycatch mitigation measures on the demography of Vulnerable White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis breeding on Possession Island, Crozet Islands.

The paper’s abstract follows:

1. “The impact of industrial fisheries on marine biodiversity is conspicuous in large pelagic vertebrate's fisheries bycatch. In seabirds, this led to the decline of many populations since the 1980s following the rise of global fishing effort. Bycatch mitigation measures were implemented since the 2000s, but their effects on the concerned seabird populations remain poorly quantified and understood.
2. We studied the effects of bycatch mitigation measures on the demography of the white-chinned petrel, one of the most bycatch impacted seabirds whose populations suffered dramatic declines before the implementation of mitigation measures. To do so we (a) built multi-event capture–recapture models to estimate the demographic parameters of a population from Possession Island (southern Indian Ocean) over 30 years, (b) assessed the effect of climate and fishery covariates on demographic parameters, (c) built a population matrix model to estimate stochastic growth rate according to the management in fisheries bycatch and (d) estimated changes in breeding population density using distance sampling data.
3. The population declined from the 1980s to the mid-2000s, while trawl and longline fisheries occurred with no bycatch mitigation measures. The negative effects of fishery bycatch through additive mortality and of rat predation on breeding success were likely the main drivers of this decline.
4. Both modelled population growth rate and observed breeding densities showed an increase since the mid-2000s. We explained this trend by the improvement in survival probability BASDF probability with the local control of the rat population and changes in sea ice conditions on foraging grounds.
5. Synthesis and applications. We provide a holistic approach to assess the effects of management measures by analysing datasets from sampling methods commonly employed in seabird studies. Our conclusions should encourage the eradication of invasive predatory species in seabird breeding areas and the strengthening of bycatch mitigation measures for the vulnerable seabird species, especially in international waters, but also the development of such measures considering the other marine large pelagic species threatened by fisheries bycatch (sharks, rays, turtles and marine mammals) since it could be crucial to avoid populations' extinction.”

With thanks to Anaïs Dasnon.

Reference:

Dasnon, A., Delord, K., Chaigne, A. & Barbraud, C. 2022.  Fisheries bycatch mitigation measures as an efficient tool for the conservation of seabird populations.  Journal of Applied Ecology  doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14189.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 May 2022

Albert, the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross

The story of Albert

In November last year, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, received an adult Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri for treatment.  The bird had been spotted on the main beach at Southbroom on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

“The bird appeared very lethargic.  It did not have any fractures nor external injuries, and his radiographs taken in the Margate Veterinary Hospital identified no internal fishing hooks”.

The bird, named Albert (although its gender was not determined) was then transported to uShaka Sea World (a division of SAAMBR) courtesy of the Lower South Coast SPCA where the animal health team administered fluids, fish gruel and left the bird to rest for the night.  “The next morning he continued to appear lethargic and did not seem to recover despite their efforts and unfortunately, passed away.”

Read more about Albert here.

The story of Emily

Emily, the juvenile Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross under care

On 7 May this year the uShaka Sea World animal health team received another yellow-nosed albatross, this time a juvenile, which was considered to be of the same Indian species as was Albert.  Named Emily (although again gender was not known), the bird was found sitting on the upper deck of a cargo vessel while in the offshore anchorage area before it entered Durban Harbour.

“She was full of energy and her physical condition appeared to be good.  It was thought that she had taken it upon herself to rest on the deck of the boat while it was out in the pelagic ocean.  Unfortunately, because albatrosses need a long “runway” to lift themselves into the air, and the deck of a boat is totally unsuited to this type of lift off, she would have found herself stranded.”

The Transnet Ports Authority pilot who boarded the ship was informed of the animal visitor that they had onboard.  The pilot then contacted uShaka Sea World who met the ship once it had docked and collected the bird.  Described as malnourished and weak, it was fed and rehydrated over a couple of days.  After being given a clean bill of health, the albatross was taken out to sea in the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) vessel, the Spirit of Surfski VI, and released on 12 May 6.5 nautical miles offshore by uShaka Sea World staff.  After at least 20 minutes preening on the sea surface the bird took to flight.

Read more about Emily here.

Emily gets released and takes to flight; photographs from SAAMBR

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 May 2022

Buller's Albatross by ABUN artist Virginia Nicol; after a photograph by Laurie Smaglick Johnson

The Conservation Services Programme (CSP) of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation works to reduce the impact of commercial fishing on protected species in New Zealand fisheries waters. Here is one of its most recent reports by David Thompson (National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand) and Paul Sagar.

The report’s Executive Summary follows:

“This report presents a summary of the results of demographic studies at three study colonies of southern Buller’s albatrosses Thalassarche bulleri bulleri breeding at The Snares from 27 March to 13 April 2022.

Demographic studies at the three study colonies on North East Island have been undertaken annually from 1992 to 2022, with the exception of 2018 and 2021, and so this report incorporates some of these data in the current analysis. Estimates of the numbers of breeding pairs, made by recording the contents (chick, egg or egg fragments) of each nest mound, increased in two of the three colonies to over the numbers recorded during 2020 to be at all-time highs for the 30-year duration of the study.

With the assumption that the combined total number of breeding pairs in the three study colonies was representative of North East Island as a whole, and notwithstanding the maximal counts in two of the study colonies recorded in 2022, then the breeding population probably peaked around 2005-2006 and has since undergone marked annual variations.

A total of 379 birds were [sic] recaptured that had been banded previously in the study colonies as breeding adults of unknown age. A further 137 breeding birds were banded in the study colonies - these are presumed to be first-time breeders – during the latest 2022 survey. Estimates of annual survival of birds banded as breeders continued to decline, with estimates close to 0.9, or lower, in recent years. During the period 1992-2004 all chicks that survived to near-fledging in the study colonies were banded and their survival to return to the study colonies in subsequent years has been monitored. In 2022, 139 of these birds were recaptured, with birds from cohorts banded from 1996 to 2004 being recaptured for the first time. This demonstrates the long-term monitoring required to obtain reliable estimates of survival of such known-age birds. Of these recaptured 139 known-age birds, 11 were found breeding for the first time, and so were recorded as being recruited to the breeding population. In addition, three birds that had been banded as near-fledging in the study colonies during September 2013 and September 2014 were also recaptured for the first time.

In 2020 50 Global Location Sensing (GLS) tags were attached to the metal leg bands of breeding birds in the Mollymawk Bay study colony; of these, 31 were retrieved, and a further 7 recorded as being lost, during the 2022 field season.

Twelve trail cameras were deployed at breeding colonies during the 2022 fieldwork: 11 set to record one photograph every hour during daylight, and one set to record 30 seconds of moving images daily, until they are retrieved in April 2023.”

Reference:

Thomson, D. & Sagar, P. 2022.  Population studies of southern Buller's albatross on The Snares.  Prepared for Conservation Services Programme, Department of Conservation: CSP Project 2019-04.  Wellington: National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd.  19 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 May 2022

 
Amsterdam Albatross off Amsterdam Island by ABUN artist Birgit Bührlé; after a photograph by Kirk Zufelt

With the third World Albatross Day not too far away now, ACAP is marking the days until 19 June with a daily artwork posted to the Home Page, with a different ACAP-listed species featured each day.  The series commences with the Endangered Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis and continues in alphabetical order to end with the Vulnerable White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis during ‘WADWEEK2022’ (13-19 June).

White-chinned Petrel by ABUN artist Anju Rajesh

The 31 chosen artworks (from over 500) come from three fruitful collaborations with Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) over the last three years.

With grateful thanks to ABUN Co-founder Kitty Harvill and all the ABUN artists for their ongoing support of albatross and petrel conservation

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 May 2022