--- title: "South African research on ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels in 2009" --- # South African research on ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels in 2009 South African research on ACAP-listed species is primarily carried out at two island groups, South Africa's Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean and the United Kingdom's Tristan da Cunha Group in the South Atlantic.  At the former research activities are concentrated on Marion Island, at the latter on Gough and Inaccessible Islands, in conjunction with partners at the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ([RSPB](http://www.rspb.org.uk/)) and Tristan's Conservation Department ([TCD](http://www.rspb.org.uk/)).  Research is also carried out on ACAP species at sea, both off South Africa and in the Southern Ocean south of the continent.  There are two main research centres, the [FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology](http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/) at the University of Cape Town, and the Marine and Coastal Development Branch of the [Department of Environmental Affairs](http://www.deat.gov.za).  The former body concentrates on conducting research and teaching post-graduate students, whereas the latter fulfils South Africa's commitments to both ACAP and [CCAMLR](http://www.ccamlr.org) by conducting annual monitoring of seabirds at Marion Island.  ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/A/Atlantic_Yellow_nosed_Albatross2_by_Peter_Ryan.jpg "Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross. Photograph by Peter Ryan") A total of five long-term demographic studies is being conducted on ACAP-listed species, with a sixth (on [Southern Giant Petrels](https://acap.aq/latest-news/news-from-the-field-working-with-southern-giant-petrels-on-gough-island)* Macronectes giganteus*on Gough Island) set to start in 2010.  The established studies are on Wandering *Diomedea exulans* and Grey-headed *Thalassarche chrysostoma* Albatrosses and Northern Giant Petrels *M. halli* at Marion Island, and [Tristan](https://acap.aq/latest-news/tristan-albatrosses-have-another-poor-breeding-year) *D. dabbenena* and [Atlantic Yellow-nosed](https://acap.aq/latest-news/atlantic-yellow-nosed-albatross-study-on-gough-island-goes-into-its-27th-year) *T. chlororhynchos*Albatrosses at Gough.  The oldest of these studies, on Marion's Wanderers, has now been running for three decades. Research on ACAP-listed burrowing petrels includes recent censuses of [White-chinned Petrels](https://acap.aq/latest-news/how-many-white-chinned-petrels-are-out-there) *Procellaria aequinoctialis* at the Prince Edwards and of [Spectacled Petrels](https://acap.aq/latest-news/successfully-counting-spectacled-petrels-inaccessible-island-expedition-returns-to-cape-town) *P. conspicillata* at Inaccessible.  Genetics work has also been carried out on these two petrels, confirming their specific status.  A limited amount of work is being conducted on winter-breeding Grey Petrels *P. cinerea* at [Marion](https://acap.aq/latest-news/grey-petrels-being-tracked-at-sea-by-south-african-scientists) (where they are rare) and at [Gough](https://acap.aq/latest-news/multi-national-expedition-sails-to-study-acap-species-in-the-mid-atlantic) (where they may be at risk to introduced mice). ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/G/Grey_Petrel_by_Peter_Ryan2.jpg "Grey Petrel at Marion Island. Photograph by Peter Ryan")  Research on ACAP-listed species at Marion Island has also been undertaken by the [Animal Demography Unit](http://adu.org.za/), Department of Zoology at the University of Cape Town, most recently on the effects of human disturbance ([click here](https://acap.aq/latest-news/wandering-albatrosses-how-close-should-you-get)).  **South African  scientific and popular publications on ACAP-listed species in 2009** Angel, A, Wanless, R.M. & Cooper, J. 2009.  Review of impacts of the introduced House Mouse on islands in the Southern Ocean: are mice equivalent to rats?  *Biological Invasions* 11: 1743-1754. Cooper, J. 2009.  Foreword.  In: James, N.  *Allie makes a Difference.*  Wynberg: Don Nelson.  p. 8. Cooper, J., Bester, M.N., Chown, S.L., Crawford, R.J.M., Daly, R., Heyns, E., Lamont, T., Ryan, P.G. & Shaw, J.D. 2009.  Biological survey of the Prince Edward Islands, December 2008.  *South African Journal of Science*105: 317-320. Cooper, J., Cuthbert, R. & Glass, T. 2009. Plight of the albatross.  *Tristan da Cunha Newsletter* 44: 24-25. Cooper, J., Morgan, K.H. & Tasker, M.L. 2009.  Listing North Pacific albatrosses within the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.  *Marine Ornithology*37. Jones, M.G.W. & Ryan, P.G. 2009.  Evidence of mouse attacks on albatross chicks on sub-Antarctic Marion Island.  *Antarctic Science  *doi:10.1017/S0954102009990459*.* Oosthuizen, W.C., Dyer, B.M. & de Bruyn, P.J.N. 2009.  Vagrant birds ashore at the Prince Edward Islands, southern Indian Ocean, from 1987 to 2009.*  African Journal of Marine Science*31: 445-450. Petersen. SL., Honig, M.B., Ryan, P.G. & Underhill, L.G. 2009.  Seabird bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery off southern Africa.  *African Journal of Marine Science*. 31: 191-204. Petersen, S.L., Honig, M.B., Ryan, P.G., Underhill, L.G. & Goren, M. 2009.  Seabird bycatch in the demersal longline fishery off southern Africa.  *African Journal of Marine Science*. 31: 205-214. Ryan, P.[G.] 2009.  The seabirds of the Conrad Rise, Southern Ocean.  *Bulletin of the African Bird Club* 16: 67-77. Ryan, P.G. 2009.  The world of birds: sixth albatross species breeding on Prince Edward Island.  *Africa Birds & Birding* 14(2): 14. Ryan, P.G. 2009.  Seabird conservation: sign of the times for Tristan Albatrosses.  A*frica Birds & Birding* 14: 12. Ryan, P.G., Jones, M.G.W., Dyer, B.M., L Upfold, L. & Crawford, R.J.M.*2009.** *Recent population estimates and trends in numbers of albatrosses and giant petrels breeding at the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands* African Journal of Marine Science* **31**: 409-417. Techow, N.M.S.M.. O'Ryan, C., Phillips, R.A., Gales, R., Marin, M., Patterson-Fraser, D., Quintana, F., Ritz, M.S., Thompson, D.R., Wanless, R.M., Weimerskirch, H. & Ryan P.G. 2009.  Speciation and phylogeography of giant petrels *Macronectes.* *Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution*  [doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.005](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.005). Techow, N.M.S.M., Ryan, P.G. & O'Ryan, C. 2009.  Phylogeography and taxonomy of White-chinned and Spectacled Petrels.  *Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution* 52: 25-33. Visser, P., Louw, H., Cuthbert, R. & Ryan, P.[G.] 2009.  Salvin's Albatross *Thalassarche salvini*on Gough Island, South Atlantic.  *Bulletin of the African Bird Club* 16: 215-216. Wanless, R.[M.] 2009.  BirdLife's Albatross Task Force - incentives to reduce seabird bycatch in South African Fisheries. *Bycatch Communication Network Newsletter* 12: 2-3. Wanless, R.M., Ryan, P.G., Altwegg, R., Angel, A., Cooper, J., Cuthbert, R. & Hilton, G.M. 2009.  From both sides: dire demographic consequences of carnivorous mice and longlining for the critical endangered Tristan Albatrosses on Gough Island.  *Biological Conservation*142: 1710-1718. Wheeler, M., de Villiers, M.S. & Majiedt, P.A. 2009.  The effect of frequency and nature of pedestrian approaches on the behaviour of Wandering Albatrosses at sub-Antarctic Marion Island.  *Polar Biology* 32: 197-205.  For earlier publications on ACAP-listed species by the FitzPatrick Institute go to [http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/docs/publist.html](http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/docs/publist.html).  *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, Rob Crawford, Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Peter Ryan, FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, 7 January 2010*