A pair of Flesh-footed Shearwaters, photograph from the Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden

The Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden reports on Facebook that the Near Threatened Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carnepeis has expanded its breeding grounds on Phillip Island (190 ha) offshore of Norfolk Island, an External Territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and the French Territory of New Caledonia,

“Once only found near Red Knoll, about 20 pairs have now been discovered by long-term seabird researchers Nicholas Carlile and Terry O’Dwyer in a new forest patch near the track from Parks Hut to Owen Evans’ camp”, identified by their distinctive calls at night.

“From October to May, these birds return to reunite with partners, spruce up burrows, and mate.  Their growing numbers are more than just a rare sighting, as they play a vital role in island regeneration, enriching soil with ocean nutrients through their guano.”

The Flesh-footed Shearwater was identified at a 2019 ACAP meeting as a species for listing on the Agreement’s ANNEX 1 but as yet no formal proposal has been made to the Parties.

The bird has been well studied, especially in relation to ingested plastic, on Lord Howe Island (click here).  The species has also been studied in New Zealand.

It has been proposed that the species be renamed the Sable Shearwater; Pale-footed is also an option.

Read about petrels on Phillip Island here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 17 November 2025

 A Lumo Lead®, photograph from the publication

Sung Il Lee (Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management on at-sea trials using Lumo Leads® to reduce seabird bycatch by Korean tuna longliners.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Bycatch threatens albatrosses and petrels, prompting all tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations to require bycatch mitigation measures in areas overlapping high seabird densities.  In the Southern Hemisphere, and with one exception of the IATTC, tuna longliners south of 25°S in Indian and Atlantic oceans and south of 30°S in western Pacific Ocean must use at least two of the following three measures: night setting, bird-scaring lines, and branch line weighting.  Adding weights is complex, and carries concerns about negative impacts on target species catch rates and crew safety.  From 2013 to 2016, we tested the effects of Lumo Lead® on seabird bycatch, target catch rates, and safety aboard seven Korean tuna longliners.  Trials involved 358,649 unweighted and 468,476 weighted lines (40–60 g, 0–200 cm from the hook) across 483 sets.  The seabird bycatch rate in weighted branch lines was significantly lower than that in unweighted branch lines (p < 0.001).  There was no difference in catch rate when targeting southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) and a slight difference for yellowfin tuna (T. albacares).  The catch rate of albacore tuna (T. alalunga, ALB) on weighted branch lines was significantly lower (p < 0.001).  No safety incidents were reported during the experiment.  The reduced ALB catch rate may reflect fishermen's inexperience with line weighting, but this requires further investigations.  Results suggest the Lumo leads are a safe, effective seabird mitigation measure for Korean longliners but line weighting alone cannot eliminate bycatch and should be used with bird-scaring lines or night setting.  More broadly, these findings provide lessons for pelagic longline fisheries globally, showing that safe and practical line weighting can be integrated into existing operations to support sustainable fisheries management and seabird conservation.”

With thanks to Yuna Kim, Seabird Project Coordinator, BirdLife Australia.

Reference:

Lee, S.I., Kim, Y., Rollinson, D.P., Wanless, R.M., Kitakado. T. & Kim, D.N. 2025.  The experimental trials of line weighting options for reduction of incidental mortality of seabirds in Korean tuna longline vessels.  Ocean & Coastal Management 272.  doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.108001.

Four fishing hooks and fishing line are visible in this X-ray of a Salvin’s Albatross, photograph by Ruben Aleman, Fundación Juvimar

A juvenile Vulnerable Salvin’s Albatross Thalassarche salvini, has recovered following surgery after swallowing four large fishing hooks and metres of fishing line off the coast of Ecuador.  “Thanks to a quick-thinking local fisher in Ecuador and a dedicated team of vets and conservationists, the bird underwent life-saving surgery and was safely released back into the wild.”

The hooked Salvin’s Albatross, photograph by Ruben Aleman, Fundación Juvimar

One of the removed hooks and tangled fishing line, photograph by Ruben Aleman, Fundación Juvimar

“The juvenile Salvin's Albatross was found by Juan Alberto Infante, a fisherman from Anconcito, Ecuador, who recognized that the bird was unwell and contacted local authorities.  The albatross was under wildlife rehabilitation care in Puerto López after the ingested hooks and fishing line were successfully removed by Ruben Aleman, a local veterinarian with Fundación Juvimar.  After careful evaluation, it was released in late October on a nearby beach in Manabí province.  Thanks to the timely report from an artisanal fisher, we were able to rescue this Salvin's Albatross that had been grounded for several days in the port of Anconcito, said Giovanny Suárez Espín, Ecuador Seabird Bycatch Coordinator for American Bird Conservancy (ABC).  Through coordination with Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment's local representative (REMACOPSE) and a specialized veterinarian, we successfully removed four fishing hooks from the bird, including one that caused injuries to its esophagus.  The type and size of the hooks suggest they came from the artisanal mahi-mahi [Coryphaena hippurus] fishery, which poses a risk to albatrosses. 

The juvenile Salvin’s Albatross in captivity, photograph by Ruben Aleman, Fundación Juvimar

Watch a video about the Salvin’s Albatross’ capture, treatment and release here.

Information from a detailed report by the American Bird Conservancy, with additional information from the Facebook Groups of the American Bird Conservancy and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Read about a Salvin's Albatross rehabilitated in New Zealand by Auckland Zoo here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 13 November 2025

 
A feral cat feeds on the carcass of a White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi on Auckland Island, August 2019; photograph by Stephen Bradley, Department of Conservation o Te Papa Atawhai (read more here)

A fund-raising campaign for the Maukahuka Restoration Project has been launched in new Zealand that aims to make sub-Antarctic Auckland Island free of its estimated 1500 feral pigs, 550-690 feral cats and an unknown number of House Mice.  The launch took place on 03 November aboard the Heritage Adventurer of Heritage Expeditions in the city of Auckland's waterfront.  The restoration project, set to cost NZ$ 80 million, is a partnership between New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) as the operational lead, indigenous tribe Ngāi Tahu’s Murihiku Regeneration, Island Conservation (providing technical advice), New Zealand Nature Fund (NZNF) as the fund-raising partner and Heritage Expeditions (which has spent more than 35 years leading scientific and eco-tourism voyages to New Zealand’s subantarctic islands).

At the ship-based launch Lou Sanson, a NZNF Trustee and a former DOC Director-General, proposed that a scheme be instituted whereby project supporters could “purchase” a symbolic hectare of the 46 000-ha island for NZ$1000, with the aim to raise as much as NZ$44 million.  “Under the plan, donors would receive a certificate recognising their “ownership” of a hectare of Auckland Island, without any legal title.”

A feral pig on Aukland Island approaches a breeding White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi, photograph by Pete McClelland

In a recorded message played at the Auckland Island event, the New Zealand Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the islands are “among the great wildlife sanctuaries of the Southern Hemisphere.  The challenge before us is to restore balance – to let these islands breathe again.  Projects like this show how government, iwi [Māori tribes], philanthropy and enterprise can work together for enduring results.”

Marion Island’s “Sponsor a Hectare” scheme.  Each exposed rectangle represents 100 ha funded as at 04 November 2025

The Auckland Island crowd-funding proposal is remarkably similar to the “Sponsor a Hectare” initiative of the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project which aims to eradicate the albatross-killing House Mice on South Africa’s sub-Antarctic island.  This crowd-funding scheme is working to raise 30 million Rands at a cost of R1000 for each of the islands 30 000 hectares; it is currently standing at 42% of target.  It is important to note, that as for the Auckland Island proposal, the Marion Island crowd funder will only raise a part of the total funds required.

John Cooper (second left) proposes Marion Island’s “Sponsor a Hectare” scheme to BirdLife South Africa colleagues back in 2017 (read more here)

When I first proposed the Hectare a Sponsor idea to BirdLife South Africa (which jointly manages the MFM Project with the South African Government’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) I had in mind the “Million Dollar Mouse” public campaign that with DOC and other support, funded the eradication of House Mice on New Zealand’s Antipodes Island.  I was particularly taken by the Antipodes Island map that showed progress with fund-raising by crossing out mice.

X out that mouse! Progress with the Antipodes Island’s Million Dollar Mouse Project funding

The Auckland Islands are a nature reserve and part of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands World Heritage Site.  Removal of the remaining introduced mammals will mean that all the New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands will be free of mammalian pests, following successful campaigns on Enderby (cattle, rabbits, mice) Campbell (sheep, cats and rats) and Antipodes (mice).  Goats were previously eliminated from Auckland Island.

It seems that civil/government partnerships are the way forward to fund introduced mammal eradications on large islands - as exemplified by Antipodes, Auckland and Marion, as well as earlier on South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)* where the Habitat Restoration Project rid the island of its rodents and the sadly failed attempt by the Gough Island Restoration Programme to eradicate that island’s mice.

Slowly but steadily the islands of the Southern Ocean are being rewilded by the eradication of their introduced pests, thus helping save their threatened albatrosses and petrels, and all their biota.  Wearing a different hat as News Correspondent for the Mouse-Free Marion Project, I am grateful that I can do my small part towards this worthy goal.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 12 November 2025

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.