With the Albatross and Petrel Agreement meeting in Wellington, New Zealand this and next week it seems appropriate for ACAP Latest News to highlight a new publication on a procellariiform seabird that can at times be viewed close from the shore in Wellington Harbour, and one that is being translocated to the nearby Matiu/Somes Island Scientific and Historic Reserve.

Martin Berg (Centre for Animal Movement Research, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden) and colleagues have published in the journal Emu – Austral Ornithology on aspects of the breeding biology of the globally Least Concern Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia) is an abundant seabird endemic to breeding colonies in northern and central New Zealand. The species remains poorly studied, and here we present the first study to examine its breeding biology in detail. Fluttering Shearwater nests were monitored from laying in September to fledging in January 2016 on Burgess Island in the outer Hauraki Gulf, northern New Zealand. Nine (22%) of forty-one natural nests were located under dense vegetation on the ground. Eggs were laid over a period of 39 days with laying peaking on 12 September. Incubation length was 50.0 ± 3.7 days and chicks fledged after an average of 74.2 ± 4.3 days, from late December to the end of January. Chick growth corresponds to the pattern observed for other Procellariiformes, gaining body mass rapidly to a maximum of 115% of adult mass, and then losing mass until fledging. Chicks were fed most nights throughout chick-rearing. Breeding success was 63.8% and similar to other Puffinus species breeding in pest-free colonies. This study provides baseline biological data for a poorly studied, yet common, New Zealand endemic seabird. The obtained new information will allow for further ecological investigations and improved conservation management.”

Fluttering Shearwater at sea, photograph by Kirk Zufelt

Reference:

Berg, M., Linnebjerg, J.F., Ismar, S.M.H., Gaskin, C.P. & Rayner, M.J. 2017. Breeding biology of Fluttering Shearwaters (Puffinus gavia) on Burgess Island in northern New Zealand. Emu – Austral Ornithology.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 September 2017

The Eighth Meeting of the ACAP's Seabird Bycatch Working Group (SBWG8) got underway yesterday in Wellington, New Zealand.  Under the joint chair of Convenor Anton Wolfaardt and Igor Debski and Sebastián Jiménez  as SBWG Vice Convenors, the meeting spent most of the day discussing best-practice mitigation advice in both longline and trawl fisheries, supported by a number of submitted papers.

A portfolio of some of the participants attending SBWG8 follows.

SBWG participants gather in the meeting room in the CQ Hotel before the first day of a three-day meeting gets underway.

Jonathon Barrington (Australia) points and wags fingers simultaneously leaving Barry Baker (Australia) seemingly unmoved.

Meeting chairs Igor Debski (New Zealand), Anton Wolfaardt (UK) and Sebastián Jiménez (Uruguay) get themselves set up at the "top table"

 Meeting chairs Sebastián Jiménez (Uruguay), Anton Wolfaardt (UK) and Igor Debski (New Zealand), get SBWG8 underway

Well done New Zealand: running an eco-friendly meeting with glass containers and not a single-use plastic water bottle in sight

 Graham Robertson (Australia) and Andrés Domingo (Uruguay) at morning tea break

 Johan de Goede (South Africa) explains a point to Barbara Weinecke (Australia)

 Janice Molloy (New Zealand) with Nigel Brothers (Australia) and Hannah Nevins (USA)

 Anton Wolfaardt (SBWG Convenor, South Africa) and Yukiko Inoue (Japan) enjoy a conversation

 The meeting room has been well set up with audio-visual equipment

Photographs by John Cooper.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 September 2017

Meetings of ACAP’s Advisory Committee and two of its working groups start today in the CQ Hotel situated on cosmopolitan Cuba Street in Wellington, New Zealand. First up will be the 8th Meeting of the Seabird Bycatch Working Group (SBWG), under the convenorship of Anton Wolfaardt.

SBWG Chief Officers met with AC Chair and Vice Chair along with the three-member ACAP Secretariat in the secretarial office on Sunday afternoon to discuss the “order of events” for the next three days of meetings. With 22 Documents to consider and no less than 31 Information Papers to take note of there will be a lot to discuss.  These papers, or in some cases only their abstracts, are available for public reading on this website.

Planning the next day's work: from left Sebastián Jiménez (SBWG Vice Convenor), Anton Wolfaardt (SBWG Convenor) Marco Favero (ACAP Executive Secretary), Nathan Walker (ACAP Advisory Committee Chair) and Tatiana Neves (ACAP Advisory Committee Vice Chair).  Not in view:  John Cooper (ACAP Information Officer), Igor Debski (SBWG Vice Convenor) and Wiesława Misiak (ACAP Science Officer)

Tatiana Neves, Sebastián Jiménez and Richard Phillips (PaCSWG Co-convenor) mug for the camera

 The group then moved to the conference venue, also in the CQ Hotel, to advise on set up of the room: some table shuffling transpired.

In discussion: Nathan Walker, Marco Favero and Anton Wolfaardt in the meeting room

Sound, lights, camera (and water glasses).  Setting up for two weeks of meetings

An early evening then followed for some of us still a little tired and jet-lagged after flights from South Africa, South America and Europe: Antipodes indeed!

Later in the week, the Population and Seabird Conservation Working Group (PaSCWG) will meet over two days, to be convened by Richard Phillips of the UK. This will be followed by the Pterodroma Workshop on the weekend and the 10th Meeting of the Advisory Committee next week.  In between all these meetings ACAP attendees will go on a few welcome outings.  ACAP Latest News will report on them all.

Photographs by John Cooper.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 September 2017

In 1991, South Africa eradicated feral cats Felis catus on its sub-Antarctic Marion Island, still the largest island in the world, at 290 km², where such has been achieved. Attention then turned to Marion’s remaining introduced mammal, the House Mouse Mus musculus, with a workshop held in 1995 to consider the desirability of their eradication. In the event not much further happened on managing mice on the island for the next two decades, but increasing evidence is now emerging that the mice are a serious threat to the island's bird life.

A Marion Island House Mouse, photograph by Peter Ryan

 In particular, since 2003 gruesome observations of mice attacking and killing albatrosses and burrowing petrels on the island have shown that the mice are not the “benign presence” they had once been thought to be.  Responding to the mouse attacks the NGO BirdLife South Africa commissioned a review of the impacts of the island’s mice, and then with logistic support from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to enable a site visit, a feasibility study for their eradication by island eradication expert John Parkes of Kurahaupo Consulting, New Zealand.

A "scalped" Light-mantled Sooty Albatross on Marion Island, photograph by Peter Ryan

Grey-headed Albatross chicks "scalped" by House Mice at Marion, photograph by Ben Dilley

A Wandering Albatross chick is attacked by a House Mouse at night on Marion Island, photographs by Janine and Stefan Schoombie

South Africa is now considering making an eradication attempt on the island, as briefly mentioned in its Implementation Report (AC10 Inf 10) to ACAP’s meetings in Wellington, New Zealand this month.

Click here to read an earlier ALN story on mouse attacks on albatrosses on Marion Island.

With thanks to Ben Dilley, Peter Ryan and Janine and Stefan Schoombie for the photographs.

Selected Literature:

Angel, A. & Cooper, J. 2011. A review of the impacts of the House Mouse Mus musculus on sub-Antarctic Marion Island, Prince Edward Islands. Report to the Prince Edward Islands Management Committee, South African National Antarctic Programme.

Bester, M.N., Bloomer, J.P., Bartlett, P.A., Muller, D.D., van Rooyen, M. & Büchner, H. 2000. Final eradication of feral cats from sub-Antarctic Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 30: 53-57.

Bester, M.N., Bloomer J.P., van Aarde, R.J., Erasmus, D.G., van Rensburg, P.J.J., Skinner, J.D., Howell, P.G. & Naude, T.W. 2002. A review of the successful eradication of feral cats from sub-Antarctic Marion Island, southern Indian Ocean. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 32: 65-73.

Chown, S.L. & Cooper, J. 1995. The Impact of Feral House Mice at Sub-Antarctic Marion Island and the Desirability of Eradication: Report on a Workshop held at the University of Pretoria, 16-17 February 1995. Pretoria: Directorate: Antarctica & Islands, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. 18 pp.

Cerfonteyn, M. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. Have burrowing petrels recovered on Marion Island two decades after cats were eradicated? Evidence from sub-Antarctic skua prey remains. Antarctic Science 28: 51-57.

Dilley, B.J., Schoombie, S., Schoombie, J. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. ‘Scalping’ of albatross fledglings by introduced mice spreads rapidly at Marion Island.  Antarctic Science 28: 73-80.

Dilley, B.J., Schramm, M. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. Modest increases in densities of burrow-nesting petrels following the removal of cats Felis catus from Marion Island. Polar Biology 40: 25-637.

Dilley, B.J., Schoombie, S., Stevens, K., Davies, D., Perold, V., Osborne, A., Schoombie, J., Brink, C.W., Carpenter-Kling, T. & Ryan, P.G. submitted ms. Mouse predation affects breeding success of burrow-nesting petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island.

Jones, M.G.W. & Ryan, P.G. 2010. Evidence of mouse attacks on albatross chicks on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Antarctic Science 22: 39-42.

Parkes, J. 2016. Eradication of House Mice Mus musculus from Marion Island: a review of feasibility, constraints and risks. BirdLife South Africa Occasional Report Series No. 1. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa.

Schoombie, S., Crawford, R.J.M., Makhado, A.B., Dyer, B.M. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. Recent population trends of sooty and light-mantled albatrosses breeding on Marion Island.  African Journal of Marine Science 38: 119-127.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 September 2017, revised 06 September 2017