The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has not often featured in ACAP Latest News - although the bilateral RFMO between Canada and the USA does manage a longline fishery that takes place in albatross-rich waters in the North Pacific.  It also conducts at-sea surveys of seabirds (as reported here by Tracee Geernaert of the IPHC in Chapter 3.7 of a 2016 report) as well as keeping records of avian bycatch by the fishery.

The chapter’s abstract follows:

“Counts of live seabirds, taken immediately following gear retrieval, have been conducted during International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) fishery-independent setline surveys since 2002. The Convention waters, extending from off Oregon northward to Alaska and the EEZ border with Russia, are surveyed annually between late May and early September. A total of 19,553 seabird counts have been conducted over the last 15 years, with 1,362 occurring in 2016. More than 859,000 observations of seabirds have been recorded since 2002. Northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), blackfooted albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), and fork-tailed storm petrels (Oceanodroma furcata) represent the most commonly observed species. The observed number of unidentified gulls has decreased, inversely correlated with an increased number of observations of glaucous-winged gulls and herring gulls (L. argentatus). This shift was likely the result of increased emphasis on gull identification during annual IPHC field biologist training. A total of 334 endangered shorttailed albatross (P. albatrus) sightings have been recorded overall, with an average of 22 observed annually since 2002.”

Short-tailed Albatross at sea, photograph by Aleks Terauds

Reference:

Geernaert, T.O. 2016.  3.7 Trends in seabird counts from the IPHC fishery independent setline surveys (2002-2016).  In: IPHC Secretariat (Ed.).  IPHC Report of Assessment and Research Activities 2016 IPHC–2016– RARA–26–R.  Seattle: International Pacific Halibut Commission. pp. 267-276.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 March 2017

An old male Wandering Albatross and its downy chick at Marion Island

Photograph by John Cooper

Richard Schodde (Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO National Research Collections Australia, Canberra. Australia) and colleagues have published in the journal Zootaxa on the taxonomy of the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“On-going conflict in use of the name Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758 for different taxa of the great albatrosses (Wandering Albatross complex) is resolved by neotypification, fixing the name to the large subantarctic form formerly often known as D. chionoptera Salvin, 1896.  Application of all scientific names in the complex is reviewed, an annotated synonymy for the large subantarctic form is provided, available names for smaller, temperate-zone forms are listed, and unavailable and otherwise invalid names referable to the complex are identified.  Syntypes of D. chionoptera and D. spadicea J.F. Gmelin, 1789 are lectotypified as well, fixing their names as synonyms of D. exulans to prevent possible disturbance to in-use names for the smaller, temperate-zone forms.” 

Reference:

Schodde, R., Tennyson, A.J.D., Groth, J.G., Lai, J., Scofield, P. & Steinheimer, F.D. 2017.  Settling the name Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758 for the Wandering Albatross by neotypification.  Zootaxa 4236, No 1.  doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4236.1.7.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 09 March 2017

ACAP Latest News has previously reported on an unsuccessful attempt in 2009 to eradicate introduced rats on the Hawaiian island of Lehua, home for small populations of ACAP-listed Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis Albatrosses as well as several other breeding seabird species (click here).

Lehua from the air

Black-footed Albatrosses on Lehua, photograph by Eric Vanderwerf

News is now out of plans to try once more to get rid of Lehua’s rats by applying poison bait (click here).

“The bait will be applied to Lehua Island by helicopter with supplemental hand applications. Two anticoagulant rodenticides are being considered, both of which are authorized or will be authorized and registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for such conservation applications. The rodenticides are Diphacinone and Brodifacoum. They are used commonly by the global conservation community to remove invasive rats and mice from islands. Locally, this includes the successful eradication of rats from Mokapu islet near Molokai. Once rats are confirmed to have been removed from the island, no additional rodenticide will be needed.”

A draft environmental assessment (DEA) is to be made available for review and public comment this month.

“The purpose of the project is to restore the Lehua Island ecosystem by creating a predator-free, fully-protected refuge for threatened and endangered Hawaiian species. The invasive rats have far reaching impacts on the island’s native birds, plants, and natural systems. Chiefly, they eat native seabird eggs, chicks, and adults. They also consume and destroy the island’s native plants and seeds.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 07 March 2017

Hélder Araújo (Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal) and colleagues have published in the journal Marine Biology on aerial censuses of the Critically Endangered and ACAP-listed Balearic Shearwaters Puffinus mauretanicus in Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is one of the most threatened seabirds in the world. To evaluate the abundance and distribution of Balearic Shearwaters in Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters, during the post-breeding period when migrating birds are outside the Mediterranean Sea, we conducted 5 aerial surveys between 2010 and 2014 (21 survey days covering 62,716 km2). Following a line transect method, observers recorded a total of 181 Balearic Shearwaters sightings. Using Distance sampling software, we estimated an overall species abundance (2010–2014) of 10,182, ranging between 2338 in 2010 and 23,221 individuals in 2012. During the 2012 post-breeding period, the Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters were used by up to 96.8% of the latest migratory population assessment. Considering Balearic Shearwater estimates per sampling block, there was a preference for the North and Center sectors of the Portuguese coast (respectively, 7058 and 1366 individuals) where several SPAs were already designated. We computed the annual and overall habitat predictive models for Balearic Shearwaters using a maximum entropy algorithm on MaxEnt software. In all models, the Balearic shearwater distribution was best predicted by mean chlorophyll concentration. Balearic Shearwaters are mostly present in shallow shelf and coastal waters particularly in the widest portions of the continental shelf. These areas are strongly influenced by upwelling, which concurs with the chlorophyll concentration being the most important predicting variable. Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters are one of the most important post-breeding grounds to the Balearic Shearwater.”

Balearic Shearwater at sea, photograph by Pep Arcos

Reference:

Araújo, H., Bastos-Santos, J., Rodrigues, P.C., Ferreira, M., Pereira, A., Henriques, A.C., Monteiro, S.S., Eira, C. & Vingada, J. 2017.  The importance of Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters to Balearic Shearwaters revealed by aerial census.  Marine Biology 164: 55. doi:10.1007/s00227-017-3089-x.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 07 March 2017