Great Auk

The Fourth World Seabird Day takes place today, the date of the last known sighting of the extinct Great Auk Pinguinis impennis on 3 July 1844.

"Seabird scientists, managers and enthusiasts from around the world commemorate this date to raise awareness of the continuing conservation threats to seabird populations, worldwide"

The allied World Albatross Day was held for the second time on 19 June this year with the theme  “Ensuring Albatross-friendly Fisheries”.  The large number of albatrosses and petrels killed by fisheries was the main driving force for the establishment of the Albatross & Petrel Agreement two decades ago and addressing this continuing conservation problem remains an important part of ACAP’s ongoing work.  In May 2019 ACAP's Advisory Committee at its most recent meeting held in Brazil declared that a conservation crisis continues to be faced by its 31 listed species, with thousands of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters dying every year as a result of fisheries operations. To increase awareness of this crisis ACAP inaugurated a World Albatross Day, to be held annually from 2020 on 19 June, the date the Agreement was signed in 2001.

 John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 July 2021

Chocolate mud cake by Nick Baker, Chef, Macquarie Island Research Station, photograph by Simon Payne

The aptly named Nick Baker is the current chef at the Macquarie Island Research Station.  A veteran of nearly three winters he contributed his masterpiece, presumably virtually, to the Australian Antarctic Division’s Albicake Bake Off in recognition of World Albatross Day last month.  He writes “The nest is a chocolate mud cake with raspberry gelato albatross, covered in crispy meringue in the shape of a light mantled albatross.  Adorned with white chocolate ‘poo’ splatters surrounded by grasses of the green sponge.  I was inspired by the fluffy cuteness of the Sooty Albatross chicks on the slopes around Macca.”

Nick Baker on Macquarie Island, photograph by Billy Wallace

ACAP is relieved to note that “No albatrosses were harmed in the eating of the cakes.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 July 2021

Antipodean Albatross: a New Zealand endemic at risk from fisheries bycatch; artwork by Kitty Harvill after a photograph by Kirk Zufelt

New regulations and funding in New Zealand will see surveillance cameras fitted to 300 inshore fishing vessels.  The measure aims to both record bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals and reduce the at-sea discarding of non-target fish.  Use of cameras was trialled on 20 vessels in 2019 and will now be rolled out for 85% (by volume of catch) of the fishing fleet.  The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker announced last month that “funding is now in place for the wider roll out of on-board cameras, delivering on a promise made at the 2020 election. The cost of the roll-out is expected to be [NZ]$68 million over the next four years.  On-board cameras will provide independent, accurate information about commercial fishing activity.  That will provide greater certainty and more evidence on which to base decisions about policy and regulation, scientific research, and fisheries management.  The roll-out will be staged to prioritise those vessels that pose the greatest risk to protected species such as Hector’s and Māui dolphins, black petrels and Antipodean albatross. When complete, cameras will record activity on vessels responsible for about 85 per cent of the inshore catch by volume”.

The move has been welcomed by Birds New Zealand.  The society said it supported the moves to put surveillance cameras on up to 300 inshore fishing boats as a way to provide more accurate bycatch data and help ensure compliance with the new rules.  A fisheries spokesperson commented that “the cameras will help ensure commercial fishing boats bring back to port all of the fish they catch, instead of throwing undersized fish overboard.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 July 2021

Good then to hear from Kitty recently that her painting of all the world’s 22 albatross species (which ACAP turned into a poster for last year’s World Albatross Day) was accepted for an international exhibition and subsequent inclusion in a limited-edition 240-page book Artists for Conservation 2020, published as a companion to the exhibition.  She explains:: “It is an honour for me to be a Signature member of Artists for Conservation.  And an even greater honour to be accepted into their annual international exhibitions.  In 2020, my painting of all 22 species of albatrosses under the protection of ACAP was selected for inclusion.  My hope is that it can help raise awareness for the conservation of these majestic seabirds.  Thank you to the photographers who graciously donated their photographs as reference for this work and to John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, who works tirelessly in his dedication to their conservation.”

  All for One, One for All – Albatross; poster by Kitty Harvill

ACAP hopes that its collaboration with ABUN, and with Kitty Harvill, will be able to continue, including with future annual World Albatross Days on 19 June.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 30 June 2021