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SEACHANGEThe newsletter of the Global Seabird Programme

ISSUE 7 AUGUST 2011

Welcome to the seventh annual edition of Sea Change, the newsletter of BirdLife International’s Global SeabirdProgramme (GSP). Next year will mark our 15thanniversary. In this time BirdLife’s flagship ‘Save theAlbatross’ campaign highlights the GSP’s main focus –to reverse the decline of this highly threatened group ofseabirds, which continue to suffer substantial mortalityfrom longline and other fisheries. Seabirds and the widermarine environment face numerous threats, and we areworking hard on many fronts to stem the tide.

In this issue we report on a comprehensive review, recentlypublished by the GSP, which identifies key longline fisheriesthreatening seabird populations and produces the firstglobal estimate of numbers of birds being killed each year.

We also bring you the latest news from the Albatross Task Force, which recently held its biannual workshop inUruguay, as well as news on Marine Important Bird Areas,fisheries certification and seabird tracking.

Writers’ corner has a collection of impressive photographsfrom Tui de Roy, alongside her experiences travelling theglobe discovering and reporting on the plight of albatrosses worldwide.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on SeaChange and the endeavours of the GSP – together we canwork towards saving threatened seabirds from extinction!

For more information contact [email protected]

White-capped albatrosses

Marc Fig

ueired

o

BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road,Cambridge CB3 0NA, England. Tel: +44 (0)1223 277 318

This newsletter was produced by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), registered charity England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. 270-0676-10-11

End notesThe Global Seabird Programme is co-ordinated, on behalf of the BirdLifeInternational Partnership, by the RSPB (BirdLife Partner in the UK).

Programme staff at the RSPB include Euan Dunn (Head of Marine Policy), Cleo Small (Global Seabird Programme Senior PolicyOfficer), Orea Anderson (Global Seabird Programme Policy Officer) and Ben Sullivan (Global Seabird Programme Co-ordinator).For comments and potential articles feel free to contact Orea Anderson at [email protected]

www.birdlife.org

Tui d

e Roy (R

ovin

g To

rtoise)

The criticallyendangeredwaved albatrossis the only tropicalspecies, nestingexclusively onEspañola Island in the Galapagos.

Renowned wildlife artists, John Gale and Chris Rose spent five weeks on South Georgia sketching and paintingalbatrosses, other seabirds and wildlife. Their work will be displayed in an exhibition at the Air gallery, DoverStreet, London, for two weeks commencing 3 Octoberand they are donating 25% of all sales to the AlbatrossTask Force. In addition to this, exclusive prints areavailable of John Gale’s ‘Wandering albatross’ and ChrisRose’s ‘Storm passing – wandering albatross’. Print sizesare 320mm x 500mm and the price is £145. Details andsales from Evelyn Johnson; [email protected],tel. 01767 693332 or write to her at RSPB, The Lodge,Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK, enclosing yourdetails and a cheque for £145.

Tui d

e Roy (R

ovin

g To

rtoise)

Artists aid the ATF

You can see all of the paintings at www.galleryofbirds.co.uk

‘Storm passing – wanderingalbatross’ by Chris Rose.

Upcoming eventsThe fifth International Albatross and Petrel Conference isscheduled to take place on 13–17 August 2012 at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, New Zealand.The organisation of IAPC5 will be led by New Zealand's NationalInstitute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

The conference will cover all aspects of albatross and petrelbiology, ecology, distributions and tracking, taxonomy and human interactions.

The current contact for the conference is Dr David Thompson at [email protected]

ALBATROSS TASK FORCE EMERGING MITIGATION

ATF Instructors join forces again!

Hook pod trials: an updateAs reported in Sea Change last year,the GSP is working with Fishtek(www.fishtekmarine.com) to developa ‘hook pod’ for pelagic longliners thatprevents seabirds from getting caughton baited hooks. The pod is attachedto the branchline and protects onlythe hook barb. When it reaches a pre-set depth it releases and thebaited hook falls free and sinks to thedesired fishing depth. The pod can beset beyond the diving depth of seabirdspecies active in a given area.

In November 2010, Ben Sullivan (GSPCo-ordinator) and Oli Yates (ATF Co-ordinator) conducted at-sea trials ineastern Australia onboard FV Vanessa S(Klokan Fishing Ltd). The trials identifiedsome problems with the new pressurerelease mechanism and capsule, butthese issues have been resolved withfurther development and testing on-shore. In all trials the pod proved

easy to deploy with different bait typesand hooking positions, and the crewfound it simple to set, retrieve and store.

Later this year we are working withProjeto Albatroz (ATF partner in Brazil)on further at-sea trials, which will allow

us to put the ‘hook pod’ head-to-headwith high densities of albatrosses andpetrels for the first time. The newprototype (weighing 60 g to maximizesink rate) will open at 10 m depth andhas an LED light incorporated in thehousing, at the request of severalfishermen. The system has severaladvantages; it lessens setting times (no light sticks need to be attached), itreduces marine debris (spent light sticks are often discarded at sea), and issignificantly cheaper (many thousandsof dollars are spent replacing disposablelight sticks each year).

Results will be tabled at the sixthAdvisory Committee meeting of theAgreement on the Conservation ofalbatrosses and petrels (ACAP) inEcuador in August 2011.

For further information [email protected]

‘Hook pod’ in action, showingplastic pod encasing hookbarb, with bait threadedthrough the hook shank.

Close up view of ‘Hook pod’ during at-sea trials onboard the Vanessa

‘Hook pod’ in action, showingplastic pod encasing hookbarb, with bait threadedthrough the hook shank.

The second Albatross Task Force (ATF) Instructor’s workshopwas held in Piriápolis, Uruguay. It has been two years sincethe first meeting in Coquimbo and in the intervening timethe ATF team has worked hard to achieve some great results.

Piriápolis lies close to one of the world’s most active seabirdforaging zones, where converging currents produce upwellingthat attract large numbers of albatrosses and petrels. Withlarge numbers comes the potential for high bycatch –including vulnerable wandering albatrosses from SouthGeorgia – this focused our minds well on the tasks ahead of us.

In the past two years, the ATF has undertaken a series ofresearch projects to improve seabird bycatch mitigationmeasures for longline and trawl fisheries. One of the majorresults has been to show near-zero seabird bycatch can beachieved through a combination of mitigation measures suchas line weights and bird streamer lines. In 2010, zero or near-zero bycatch was recorded by vessels in Argentina, Brazil,Namibia and Uruguay, when ATF instructors were onboard.

Other key ATF research findings include:

• Bird streamer (tori) lines significantly reduce seabirdbycatch in demersal trawl fisheries

• Bird streamer (tori) lines can be highly effective atreducing seabird attacks within their aerial extent whenused in combination with line weighting placed close tothe hook.

Strong, scientifically-rigorous results are vital to our work with fishermen, industry and governments. It allowsus to apply valid pressure for the adoption of best practiceseabird bycatch mitigation measures. The aim is to getregulations where none exist and strengthen those thatare in place. The ATF also works to identify fleets whereno, or very few, data exist – this allows us to set outpriorities on where to achieve the most ‘bang for ourconservation buck’!

The ATF has achieved some really outstanding results in a number of countries. A big part of this has been thesupport we receive from industry, fishermen, BirdLifePartners, government and other institutions.

Thanks to this, we can feel proud of making a very realdifference to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels.

For further information contact [email protected]

ATF Instructors Workshop held in Piriápolis, Uruguay.

Fabian

o Pep

pes (P

rojeto

Albatro

z)

ATF Instructors Workshop held in Piriápolis, Uruguay.

Ben

Sullivan

(RSPB)

Ben

Sullivan

(RSPB)

BYCATCH POLICY BYCATCH POLICY

Will the EU finallydeliver for seabirds?In 2008 I reported that the EuropeanCommission was assessing theevidence needed to develop an EUPlan of Action for reducing incidentalbycatch of seabirds, with a view to aplan by 2009. The initiative at thattime applied only to fishing in EUwaters, not to external waters whereEU-flagged vessels, notably Spain,contribute to the bycatch of globallythreatened albatrosses.

BirdLife presented the Commission witha ‘shadow plan’ reflecting our prioritiesbased on the new FAO Best PracticeTechnical Guidelines. The Commissionthen issued its own plan framework,which was subjected to cost-benefitanalysis by the Marine ResourcesAssessment Group (MRAG), drawing onquestionnaire interviews with fishermen

in various European ports, but alsoextensively on BirdLife data.

Concerned by the endless delays,BirdLife Europe collected 23,000signatures (the majority gathered by theUK partner, RSPB) demanding an urgentand robust plan to address theunacceptable toll (estimated at 200,000birds a year in EU waters alone) onbirds by EU fishing gears. This includesaround 100,000 birds drowned annuallyin Baltic Sea gill-nets, and 50,000 birds(including 40,000 great shearwaters)killed by the Galician demersal longlinefishery for hake on the Gran Solgrounds off south-west Ireland.

In June 2010 a delegation from BirdLifepresented EU Fisheries CommissionerMaria Damanaki with the petition in the

form of a photo-montage of a Cory’sshearwater – a common victim oflonglines in the Mediterranean. Theimage was a mosaic of 2,300 seabirdphotos and fishing vessels, each ‘pixel’representing 10 signatures. Damanakiintended to put the picture on her officewall, saying “I’m going to do somethingabout this”.

We will be watching closely for astrong follow-through, given theCommission’s latest timeline is topropose a plan that addressed bothEU and external waters by the end of 2011 – ten years after they firstmooted one. In parallel, we arelooking to the Commission to presentan ambitious proposal for reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy inJuly 2011, which not only embraces an ecosystem-based approach tofisheries management, but which also mitigates against the needlessimpacts on seabirds.

For more information [email protected]

A global review of longline seabird bycatch is publishedAfter an exhaustive four year search, a new global estimateof the impact of longline fisheries on seabirds has recentlybeen published in Endangered Species Research. The reviewidentified that, despite efforts to reduce seabird mortality,upwards of 300,000 birds are still being killed every year.

Since the 1980s, scientists have linked global declines ofalbatrosses and other seabirds with incidental bycatch inlongline fisheries. Adult birds become caught on hooksattached to the longlines, which can be over 100 kilometreslong, and dragged underwater to a premature death. Dr. OreaAnderson said “It is little wonder that so many of the affectedseabird species are threatened with extinction – their slowrate of reproduction is simply incapable of compensating forlosses on the scale this study has demonstrated”.

Some fisheries have enforced strict regulations, resulting in substantial bycatch reductions in recent years. Seabirddeaths around South Georgia in the CCAMLR zone of theSouthern Ocean have declined by 99% since regulationswere enforced. South Africa achieved a drop of 85%bycatch in its foreign-licensed fleet in 2008, when a cap was placed on the number of seabird deaths permitted.However, fleets with previously unaccounted for bycatchproblems have also emerged, adding to the global tally.

The Spanish longline fleet on the Gran Sol grounds offsouth-west Ireland is one such fleet, with preliminary datasuggesting it may be responsible for killing large numbersof seabirds, potentially upwards of 50,000 annually, mostlyshearwaters and fulmars. The Japanese tuna fleet camesecond in scale – over 20,000 killed each year, but with thelargest impact on albatrosses.

Substantial data gaps remain (e.g. Nordic demersal, Asiandistant water, and Mediterranean fleets) and until these arefilled it is impossible to gauge the true impact of globallongline activities on seabirds. However, the continueddeclining trends in many seabirds remain a major cause for concern.

BirdLife International’s Global Seabird Programme calls onregional fisheries management organisations and industryto protect seabirds through the use of simple, cost-effectivemitigation measures that have been proven to reduce thethreat of bycatch.

The full article can be found at: http://www.int-res.com/articles/esr_oa/n014p091.pdf


BirdLife Europe’s petition handover tothe Fisheries Commissioner (Left toRight: Xenophon Kappas, Euan Dunn,Nathalie DeSnijder, Sacha Cleminson,Maria Damanaki, Ariel Brunner).

Removing a longline hook from analbatross caught as lines are hauled

aboard – sadly this bird can beconsidered one of the lucky ones!

Removing a longline hook from analbatross caught as lines are hauled

aboard – sadly this bird can beconsidered one of the lucky ones!

Filip de S

met

New

Zealan

d M

inistry o

f Fisheries

New

Zealan

d M

inistry o

f Fisheries

Marine Important Bird AreasProgramme continues apaceBirdLife’s Marine Important Bird Areas(IBA) Programme continues to advance,and will culminate in the first globalinventory of marine IBAs to belaunched in 2012. On land, 1,600seabird breeding sites have now beenidentified as IBAs, though a few gapsremain in South America, Arctic Russia,South East Asia and West Africa.

BirdLife’s Seabird Foraging RangeDatabase, used to guide theidentification of seaward extensionIBAs around breeding colonies, nowincludes more species. Foragingfactsheets have been made for ~40species – giving guidance andjustification on how seawardextensions might be identified.

You can view and edit these at:www.seabird.wikispaces.com

Pelagic IBAs are now being identifiedusing data from the GlobalProcellariiform Tracking Database(www.seabirdtracking.org). Suchcomplex analysis allows us to identifyoceanic areas used most frequently bylarge numbers of seabirds and assesssites that may qualify as marine IBAs.

Once we have identified all sites it iscrucial to ensure management andprotection of these sites is improved.BirdLife is working to ensure marineIBAs are recognised and consideredpriority sites for conservation amongrelevant global and regional policies.

MARINE IBAS MARINE IBAS

Advances have been made through theConvention on Biological Diversity(Bonn Convention) process to identifyEcologically and Biologically SignificantAreas (EBSAs) via our work with theGlobal Ocean Biodiversity Initiative(www.gobi.org).

By working closely with GSP RegionalCo-ordinators and BirdLife Partners wehope to identify more sites this yearand to engage further with relevantpolicy mechanisms to enhance theprotection and appropriatemanagement of the most importantsites for seabirds around the globe.


Marine IBA work around the Birdlife Partnership in 2011.

Foraging ranges of seabirds or groups of seabirds plotted as radii around island IBAs designated for breeding seabirds. ‘Seabirds’ include petrels and albatrosses, storm petrels, gannets and boobies, penguins, tropicbirds and frigatebirds.

Important Bird Areas and Australian IslandsMany of Australia’s nearshore islands support largeconcentrations of nesting seabirds, especially in the GreatBarrier Reef, Western Australia and around Tasmania.Offshore islands, like Christmas, Heard and McDonald,Macquarie, Lord Howe, Norfolk and Philip Islands are alsoextremely important as they support very large numbers of threatened and widespread species.

Birds Australia, BirdLife’s Australian partner, has worked todesignate IBAs across all Australian jurisdictions, thoughmost are in fragmented landscapes, coasts and islands. Ofthe 314 Australian IBAs almost one third (95) are wholly orpartly islands and, of these, 91 have seabirds as a triggerspecies. Island IBAs range in size from less than one hectareto 783,781 hectares, although only three IBAs are greaterthan 100,000 hectares in size.

Such Island IBAs can focus conservation efforts and lead tothe protection of globally significant populations ofthreatened birds. In Australia, the IBA project offersopportunities to engage volunteers in monitoring andconservation, as well as promoting local stewardship andadvocacy. By working with a range of stakeholders andcollecting and analysing data on the status of island IBAs,

Birds Australia and BirdLife International can aid decision-making on the protection and management of these sites atboth a national and international level.


Areas where marine IBAwork is complete or ongoing.

Areas where work is planned for 2011.

Areas wishing to engage in marine IBAs and with thepossibility of linking to a relevant policy mechanism.

KEY

Map taken from Dutson, G., Garnett, S. & Gole, C. (2009). Australia’sImportant Bird Areas: Key sites for bird conservation. Birds Australia(RAOU) Conservation Statement No. 15, Oct. 2009.

Ben

Lascelles (Bird

Life)

Ben

Lascelles (Bird

Life)

Providence petrel(Pterodroma solandri)is an endemic breederto Australian Islands. Itis listed as vulnerableto extinction as it isonly known to breedat two sites, both ofwhich qualify as IBAs.

Ben

Lascelles (Bird

Life)

MARINE IBAS OUTREACH AND EVENTS

Renewed collaboration with Volvo Ocean RaceThe ‘Save the Albatross’ campaign has received confirmation of renewedsupport from the Volvo Ocean Race(VOR) throughout their worldwideevents this year. We will be workingclosely with VOR to raise awarenessof the plight of albatrosses over thecourse of the race, which starts inAlicante, Spain in September 2011 andfinishes in Galway, Ireland in July2012. The race will pass through twohome ports of the Albatross Task

Force (ATF) – Cape Town, South Africa and Itajaí, Brazil.

VOR is currently making a human-sized mascot for the race. ‘Wisdom’the albatross, is based on the oldestknown wild bird in US history. She is a60 year old Laysan albatross, who liveson Midway Atoll National WildlifeRefuge, Hawaii. First tagged in the1950s, she has raised 35 chicks in herlifetime! BirdLife Partners will use

‘Wisdom’ in port to raise children’sunderstanding of the threats to seabirds.

VOR offers a great opportunity to raisethe profile of the ‘Save the Albatross’campaign as it has historicallyachieved widespread media coverage,reaching millions of people throughoutthe world. We are grateful to VOR forthis opportunity and look forward toreporting on the success of thepartnership in raising awareness andfunds for seabird conservation.


BirdLifeSuccess at the World SeabirdConferenceThe last publication of Sea Changecoincided with the first World SeabirdConference (WSC), held in September2010 in Victoria, Canada. This was thelargest event ever held on marinebirds. Over 800 participants from 40countries gave 700 oral and posterpresentations covering all aspects of seabird science and conservation.

BirdLife was integral to theprogramme, with 25 representativesfrom 11 BirdLife Partners contributing30 presentations. BirdLife played alead role in two of the four mainsymposia, and co-organised three

workshops, on ‘Spatial Ecology’, ‘WorldSeabird Colony Registers’ and ‘SeabirdRemote Tracking and Databases’.

The conference was an outstandingsuccess, providing an unrivalled reviewof all current and prospective researchon seabirds, with a particular focus onmanagement and conservation. One ofthe most immediate outputs from the

conference was the establishment of the World Seabird Union; a body to plan future conferences, developwww.seabirds.net (a tool to aidcollaboration among seabirdresearchers), and facilitate global andregional seabird database development.


Volvo Ocean Race participantswith a very large albatross! Volvo Ocean Race participantswith a very large albatross!

The judging panel for student presentation awards. (Left to Right: Flavio Quintana, LisaO'Neill, Nicholas Carlile, Gail Davoren, Mark Tasker, Sophy Allen, Tom Van Pelt, PabloYorio and Pep Arcos (missing were Julia Parrish, Matt Rayner and Ross Wanless).

The judging panel for student presentation awards. (Left to Right: Flavio Quintana, LisaO'Neill, Nicholas Carlile, Gail Davoren, Mark Tasker, Sophy Allen, Tom Van Pelt, PabloYorio and Pep Arcos (missing were Julia Parrish, Matt Rayner and Ross Wanless).

Asian IBAs workshop outcomes

Japanese murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume).

Preliminary results from BirdLife’sidentification of marine IBAs werepresented at CBD COP10 organisedby the KNCF (Left: YutakaYamamoto; Middle: Mayumi Sato; Right: Ben Lascelles).

Yoshiharu

Suzuki (D

eep In

) Oskar K

ihlborg (V

olvo

Ocean

Race)

Mark Tasker (JN

CC)

Oskar K

ihlborg (V

olvo

Ocean

Race)

Mark Tasker (JN

CC)

BirdLife International beganidentifying marine IBAs in Asia in2010, with support from the KeidanrenNature Conservation Fund (KNCF).After the first Asian Marine IBAworkshop in April 2010, Wild BirdSociety of Japan (WBSJ) and BirdLifelaunched a marine IBA identificationtool kit for Japan – paving the way forother countries in Asia.

Preliminary results from the Japanese marine IBA identificationwere presented at a KNCF side eventto the CBD CoP10 in Nagoya. YutakaYamamoto (WBSJ), Mayumi Sato (GSP Regional Co-ordinator) and Ben Lascelles (GSP Marine IBAs Co-ordinator) gave talks on fourspecies of seabirds – Roseate tern,black-naped tern, rhinoceros aukletand Japanese murrelet.

After the talks, various strategies onthe conservation and sustainable useof marine and coastal biodiversitywere discussed. CBD CoP10 reaffirmedthe need to establish 10% of themarine environment as Marine

Protection Areas and set a target of2020, as this had previously been agoal for 2012. Marine IBAs are nowconsidered one of the most powerfultools to designate Ecologically andBiologically Significant Areas (EBSAs).WBSJ and BirdLife will continue to

identify Japanese marine IBAs, in thehope that these will act as a keyreference for the designation of EBSAs and MPAs in the region.


Mayu

mi S

ato (B

irdlife A

sia)Mayu

mi S

ato (B

irdlife A

sia)

Preliminary results from BirdLife’sidentification of marine IBAs werepresented at CBD COP10 organisedby the KNCF (Left: YutakaYamamoto; Middle: Mayumi Sato; Right: Ben Lascelles).

The Albatross Task Force in EcuadorThe Albatross Task Force began work in Ecuador in November 2008.Ecuador is an important site foralbatrosses such as the criticallyendangered waved albatross, whichnests on the Galapagos Archipelago,as well as for a variety of New Zealandspecies that use Ecuadorian shelfwaters for foraging. The mainobjectives of the ATF in Ecuador, aselsewhere, are to identify fisherieswhere albatrosses and petrels bycatchoccurs, record levels of bycatch, andidentify and implement effectivemitigation measures.

Workshops for fisheries observersbegan in 2009–10. The ATF supportsfour seabird-trained fisheriesobservers, who monitor the fisheries,and implement mitigation researchexperiments. Since August 2010, theteam has worked directly with the hakedemersal longline fishery in SantaRosa. High levels of seabird interaction were observed in the 49trips conducted. On receiving this

information, the Ministry ofEnvironment has pledged to support the objectives of the ATF in reducingseabird mortality.

Since January 2011, with the support ofACAP, the ATF has begun experimentsto determine an effective line weighting

set up for the Ecuadorian fishery – thefaster the line sinks the harder it is forbirds to access baited hooks.

Information provided to theEcuadorian government by the ATF iscurrently being assessed and we arehopeful they will come out strongly insupport of the ATF’s findings, and takesteps to introduce seabird bycatchmitigation requirements for theartisanal and industrial fleets.

The ATF made real progress in 2010,with the training of all fisheriesobservers in seabird bycatchmitigation and building support andparticipation of the artisanal fleet inSanta Rosa.

Work is now underway to quantifyalbatross bycatch in the rainy and hotseasons (Dec–May); to analyse theimpact of other longline fisheries inEcuador; and to set limits for bycatch(with particular emphasis on thewaved albatross populations in theGalapagos). Finally, the ATF intends tosupport the effective implementationof the ACAP Plan of Action Peru-Ecuador that was recently adopted.


Hooked waved albatross in Ecuadorian artisanal longline fishery. This bird was released alive.

Co-ordination of tracking datasteps up a gear after WSCAdvances in technology mean we arenow able to track ever smaller speciesof seabirds. WSC brought scientists,data owners and users together tounderstand how different databasescould facilitate their needs.

The workshop was co-ordinated byrepresentatives from BirdLife’s Global

Procellariiform Tracking Database(GPTD), Tracking of Pacific Predators(TOPP) database, OBIS-SEAMAP and Movebank. Existing databasefunctionality and the future needs of thetracking community were discussed andit was concluded that a single, centraldatabase was not the best solution totracking data storage. Instead the

decision was made to focus ondeveloping interoperability betweenexisting databases so that tools,functionality, and ultimately data can beshared with ease between them all –perhaps not as easy as it sounds!

OBIS-SEAMAP, Movebank and BirdLifeare currently developing systems toshare meta-data on the seabird trackingdata they host, so that users can searcheach website and be directed to thedata, regardless of where it is hosted.Following this, the group aim tointegrate the analysis of Movebank, thevisualisation of OBIS-SEAMAP and theownership structure of BirdLife’sdatabases. However, significant systemintegration issues must be overcomebefore this can become a reality.

BirdLife’s Global Procellariiform Tracking Database can be found at:www.seabirdtracking.org


Latest information on seabirdtracking data taken fromBirdLife’s Global ProcellariiformTracking Database. Maps ofindividual tracks are availablefrom www.seabirdtracking.org

Light-mantled sootyalbatross with a

satellite tracking devicevisible on its back.

Waved albatrosses and Lesserfrigatebirds congregating around anartisanal longline vessel off Ecuador.

Phil Taylo

r (Bird

Life)

Ross W

anless (BirdLife South Africa)

Freddy S

alinas (A

TF E

cuad

or)

Rich

ard M

urillo

(ATF E

cuad

or)

Rich

ard M

urillo

(ATF E

cuad

or)

OUTREACH AND EVENTS PARTNER NEWS

Indonesian seabird surveyof West JavaIn September 2009, the IndonesianSeabird Survey (ISSUE) monitoredseabirds in the Tanjung Lesung,Panaitan, and Krakatau regions of WestJava. To date, few seabird studies havebeen conducted in these regions. Atwo-day boat survey observed 50common terns, 34 Christmas Islandfrigatebirds, nine Swinhoe’s storm-petrels, a streaked shearwater, a lesserfrigatebird, 20 bridled terns, and fourlesser crested terns.

In August 2010, a second two-daysurvey went from Tanjung Lesung toUjung Kulon, Panaitan and TanjungChina, and included a brief sojourninto the Indian Ocean. The surveyreported 35 Christmas Islandfrigatebirds, two Bulwer’s petrels, alesser frigatebird, three Wilson’sstorm-petrels, six wedge-tailedshearwaters, 120 bridled terns, 50

streaked shearwaters, ca. two commonterns, and 20 lesser crested terns.

An important outcome from this studyis the recording of relatively largenumbers of the critically endangeredChristmas Island frigatebird, which arethreatened on their breeding groundsby the introduced yellow crazy ant. It isestimated that the population willdecline by 80% in the next 30 yearsbecause of predation of young.

This type of survey data can be used to raise the profile of seabirdconservation in Indonesia. To do this, and achieve effective seabirdconservation in the region, it isimportant to work with localstakeholders, to ultimately identify andconserve important areas for seabirdsin Indonesian waters.

For more information [email protected]

PARTNER NEWS PARTNER NEWS

Future of the Atlantic Marine EnvironmentAn exciting project is underway with ambitious aims tomonitor and track seabirds across the western seaboard ofEurope. FAME (Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment) is a project which is funded by the European Union RegionalDevelopment Fund through its Atlantic Area programme andtakes in seven partners across five countries – RSPB in the UK,Birdwatch Ireland, the BirdLife Partners in France (LPO), Spain(SEO) and Portugal (SPEA) and the University of Minho andWavEC (an offshore renewable energy developer) in Portugal.By working together we share skills and ensure best use of thedata. Data are collected through various means, from standardcolony monitoring, beached bird surveys and boat or planesurveys, to high resolution tracking using the latest technology.Piece by piece we are gaining a better understanding of keyseabird foraging areas and what habitat characteristics makethem so special. This information will be vital to currentdiscussions on how our marine areas should be managed. This includes planning for nature conservation areas at sea and large-scale offshore developments such as wind and waveenergy generation. It is a mammoth effort but the data we aregetting makes it all worthwhile. Already the perceived wisdomof where our seabirds travel to feed is being challenged, andwith each insight opportunities arise to better protect our mostenvironmentally salient areas.

For more information contact [email protected]

Members of the ISSUE team undertaking a seabirdsurvey off the coast aroundthe Sunda Straits and JavaSea, Indonesia.

Two kittiwakes wearingGPS tags. These tags usethe same technology asthat found in car sat-nav

systems. Every 100 secondsthe bird’s location is

recorded to an accuracy ofbetween 5–15 m, whichmakes the informationparticularly suitable for

identifying foraging areas.

MSC recognisesustainability effortin South African hake fisheryThe Marine Stewardship Council(MSC) is a global organisation thataims to reward sustainable fishingpractices through fisheriescertification. There are currently 106MSC certified fisheries worldwide.

In April 2004 the South African haketrawl fishery became the first Africanfishery to meet MSC standards. Hakeis the most valuable fish resource inSouth Africa, with exports goingmainly to Europe.

Seabird bycatch was identified as a potential problem and the firstcertification period (2004–09) required

a dedicated seabird observer to assessseabird bycatch and come up withpractical solutions over a two-yearperiod. From 2006 onwards, ongoingassessment, monitoring andimprovements have been conductedand funded exclusively by theAlbatross Task Force (ATF).

The certification of this fishery createdincentives for more open dialoguebetween conservation organisationsand the fishing industry. The ATF inSouth Africa is consequently involvedat all levels of the fishery, from thefishermen to industry managers andgovernment departments. Fishing

companies provide open access tovessels so the ATF can assess seabirdbycatch annually. Companies are alsogenerally willing to accommodateexperimental research to improvebycatch mitigation measures. Whenthe ATF are onboard we educatefishermen about the benefits of savingalbatrosses. We have also been invitedto participate in scientific workinggroups to discuss and implement best practice mitigation that can beeffectively applied through inclusion in permit conditions. This has been anintegral part of the process, allowingus to move from the more investigativeaspects of seabird bycatch mitigationinto tangible results – reducing thenumber of birds being caught in SouthAfrica! The fishery has now beenrecertified for 2010–15.

Although the process has not beenwithout its hiccups, putting in the hardwork has won the ATF respect acrossthe board. Soon we will announceresults in the form of majorimprovements in albatross bycatchrates, and are working with a very co-operative industry to shut down the few remaining issues.

For more information [email protected] or visitwww.msc.org

Note: BirdLife International has been a registered supporter of the MSC since 1998.

Seabirds congregatingaround the back of a haketrawler off South Africa.

Juvenile wandering albatross,with South African hake

trawler in the background.

Ross W

anless (B

irdLife S

outh Africa)

Ross W

anless

(BirdLife South Africa)

Ellie O

wen

s (RSPB)

Fran

sisca Noni

Ross W

anless

(BirdLife South Africa)

A personal quest

I will never forget my first meeting withan albatross. I was 15, a bit late in lifeconsidering that I spent my childhoodliving only 50 nautical miles fromEspañola Island in the Galapagos,where virtually the entire worldpopulation of waved albatross come to nest. I remember looking into thosedeep, limpid eyes elegantly shaded bysnow-white parasol eyebrows –appropriate light-shields under theequatorial sun – and being profoundlymoved. There was a powerful presencein those eyes – looking at me calmlyand with interest.

The waved albatross is the only tropicalalbatross, and probably the most range-restricted of all 22 species, neverstraying far from the cool upwellings ofthe far eastern Pacific. As I began totravel to the frozen south in pursuit ofmy budding career as a wildlife

photographer, I met other species in farmore remote locations. On DiegoRamirez, south of Cape Horn, I met my first grey-headed albatross – astunningly beautiful bird. OnBeauchène, a lone southern outpost ofthe Falklands/Malvinas, I camped at theedge of an enormous black-browedalbatross colony spreading 140,000-nests strong. Spellbound, I watched theaerial ballet of courting light-mantledalbatross pairs tracing gracefulpirouettes against the stormy skies ofSouth Georgia, and was drawn by theireerie calls to another intimate encounteron a high crag. My first view of themythical wandering albatross came tome like a divine apparition between thegiant swells of the Drake Passage whileheading for Antarctica: a symphony ofmotion, white on grey, gliding past indefiance of gravity.

When the dire plight of albatrossesemerged in the 1980–90s, my passionfor these – the most endangered groupof birds in the world – turned into anobsession: I would apply myprofessional skills as a photographerand writer to help make the world alittle safer for them. I would enlistfriends, researchers andconservationists to contribute theirknowledge to produce an in-depth,lavishly-illustrated book to highlighttheir plight and save them fromextinction. Thus was born Albatrosses –their world, their way. My hope is thatthis book can become a powerful toolfor spreading the word of BirdLife’s‘Save the Albatross’ campaign.

But without financial backing, the mostformidable challenge initially was howto spend sufficient time in primealbatross locations to get the photos!

Together, my co-author Mark Jones andI invested all we had in a sturdy 43 ftsailboat, which we outfitted for therigours of the Southern Ocean. Over fiveyears we took Mahalia on seven longtrips, totalling nine months at sea,visiting all major albatross islands in theNew Zealand sub-Antarctic region,where over half the world’s speciesnest. Some of these islands have seenless pairs of human feet than thesummit of Mount Everest!

I was also able to spend time onMidway Atoll in the far north-easternHawaiian Chain, where I photographedall three northern hemispherealbatrosses, and on Tristan da Cunhaand Gough Islands in the middle of

the South Atlantic. Here I met thecritically endangered Tristan albatross,whose survival is threatened byintroduced mice, along with the elegantAtlantic yellow-nosed and enigmaticsooty albatrosses.

My dream came true. In recent yearsthere are encouraging signs thatincreased public awareness, andespecially the hard work of theAlbatross Task Force is beginning toturn the tide of destruction, with severalalbatross populations reversing theirdeclines toward a healthier future. I’dlike to think I added my little grain ofsand to the pyramid of knowledge andconscience needed to curb our ways,and respect their ways.

WRITERS’ CORNER WRITERS’ CORNER

by Tui de Roy

After a long sub-Antarctic sailingexpedition, Tui de Roy enjoys returningto the milder climate of New Zealand,riding the bowsprit of Mahalia, a 43 ftcutter she and co-author Mark Jonesoutfitted for Southern Ocean sailing.

Little is known about the light-mantled albatross, whose breedingattempts may be spaced 2–4 yearsapart, here on a secluded cliff-edgeof sub-Antarctic Campbell Island,south of New Zealand.

Returning from its ocean wanderings, a Campbell albatross announcesits landing with a loud scream on Campbell Island in the New ZealandSubantarctic, the only island where this species nests.

On the luxuriant, fern-coveredslopes of Gough Island in theSouth Atlantic, a pair of Atlanticyellow-nosed albatross reunitein early spring.

Returning from its ocean wanderings, a Campbell albatross announcesits landing with a loud scream on Campbell Island in the New ZealandSubantarctic, the only island where this species nests.

Tui d

e Roy (R

ovin

g To

rtoise)

Tui d

e Roy (R

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rtoise)

Tui d

e Roy (R

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Tui d

e Roy (R

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rtoise)

Tui d

e Roy (R

ovin

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rtoise)

Tui d

e Roy (R

ovin

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rtoise)

Reviews of Albatrosses – their world, their way can be found at:http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/38_2/38_2_137-139.pdf

Dedicated and autographed author’s copies may be mail-ordered [email protected] or by visiting the website at http://www.tuideroy.com

SEACHANGE - The RSPB Wildlife Charity: Nature Reserves ... · in the Galapagos. Renowned wildlife...

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Transcript of SEACHANGE - The RSPB Wildlife Charity: Nature Reserves ... · in the Galapagos. Renowned wildlife...