Logo designed by Bayja Morgan-Banke

These 54th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group will be held from 15-19 February 2027 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“Over the next few months, we will be updating our Annual Meeting website, including additional accommodations and travel information, a call for abstracts, registration information, field trips, and more.  In the meantime, we do have room blocks already available at the hotel venue (Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle Downtown, 1128 W Hastings St, V.ancouver, BC V6E 4R5; $259 CAD plus tax)".

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 30 June 2026

“Locations of marine predator breeding colonies (yellow circles) and nearby Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Australia weather stations (purple triangles) used in this study.  Values in parentheses indicate the most recent breeding population estimates for each colony: number of live pups for Australian fur seals, number of burrows for short-tailed shearwaters, and number of breeding pairs for shy albatross”

Milan Sojitra (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) and colleagues have published a research article in the journal Science Advances on the effects of extreme weather on three Tasmanian marine “sentinel species,” including the endemic Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Extreme weather events (EWEs) are increasing in both intensity and frequency globally.  For long-lived, slow-reproducing marine predators, repeated or sequential EWE-driven breeding failures can have population-level consequences.  We quantified effects of EWEs on reproductive output and identified temporal windows of vulnerability during breeding in three sentinel species across 14 colonies with varying population trajectories in Tasmania, Australia.  Using long-term breeding datasets and daily weather records, we found that Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus), short-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris), and shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) exhibited species- and colony-specific vulnerabilities.  Storm surges reduced pup production in a low-lying fur seal colony, extreme rainfall lowered shearwater breeding success, and albatross productivity declined with exposure to extreme heat, rainfall, and wave events.  These results highlight the importance of identifying critical extreme weather thresholds and periods of vulnerability to inform ecological forecasting.  Proactive, climate-informed management strategies tailored to specific colonies are needed to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations under accelerating climate change.”

Reference:

Sojitra, M., Corney S., Hemer, M., Bestley, S., Hmilton, S., Thalamann, S. & Lea, M.A. 2026.  Extreme weather effects on marine predator breeding outcomes in a global climate change hotspot.  Science Advances 12. No. 25.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 29 June 2026

Two Endangered Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatrosses Thalassarche chlororhynchos fly past Gough Island, artwork by Deepti Singh of Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for World Albatross Day 2026; after photographs by Chris Jones and Laurie Smaglick Johnson

The high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus has now been publicly reported from Gough Island, a World Heritage Site, in the South Atlantic, following its detection in three Brown Skuas Catharacta antarctica found dead on the island in September 2024.  To date, no signs of the disease have been reported from other birds breeding on the island, including the Critically Endangered and near-endemic Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena.  The arrival of HPAI on Gough fills in a gap of its spread around the islands of the Southern Ocean, extending from the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas*, South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur* in the South Atlantic and to Marion Island, Possession Island, Crozets, Kerguelen and Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean (click here).  To date, there have been no reports of the virus from Australia’s Macquarie Island or any of New Zealand’s suite of sub-Antarctic islands farther to the east.

(a) Map indicating the location for Gough Island in the context of locations with ongoing HPAIV H5N1 outbreaks reported to WAHIS (red dots), (b) Gough Island with the research station located in the southeast of the island (black square) and the island helipad’s (yellow diamond), (c) view of research station and helipad, (d) Tristan skua (Stercorarius antarcticus hamiltoni) [from the publication]

Information on the Gough incident comes from Antje Steinfurth (Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Cambridge, UK) and colleagues who published open access earlier this year in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Understanding the mechanisms underlying the emergence and spread of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is critical for tracking its global dissemination, particularly via migratory seabirds, given their role in transmission over long distances.  Scavenging seabirds, such as skuas, may act as both reservoirs and vectors, and have been linked to multiple outbreaks since 2021.  Here, we report the detection of HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in three Tristan skua (Stercorarius antarcticus hamiltoni) carcasses on Gough Island in the central South Atlantic Ocean.  To investigate potential incursion routes, we combined genomic analyses with year-round tracking data from global location sensors.  Although migratory movement patterns suggested southern Africa as the most obvious pathway, the strain detected on Gough Island was more closely related to that identified in South Georgia, indicating that infection may have occurred during the pre-laying exodus, when skuas disperse into frontal waters south of the island.  No further cases have been confirmed for Gough, but more systematic monitoring is needed to understand the dynamics of virus infection.  The detection of HPAIV H5N1 in skuas on Gough Island highlights the importance of continued vigilance, proactive and geographically inclusive surveillance strategies, and biosecurity measures globally, alongside efforts to reduce other pressures on globally important seabird populations to help strengthen their resilience.”

Reference:

Steinfurth, A., Lynton-Jenkins, J.G., Cleeland, J., Mollett, B.C., Coombes, H.A., Moores, A., Neal, R., Clifton, B., Falchieri, M., Jones, C.W., Risi, M.M., Golda, S., James, J., Ryan, P.G., González- Solís, J. & Banyard, A.C. 2026.  Investigating high pathogenicity avian influenza virus incursions to remote islands: detection of H5N1 on Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.  Emerging Microbes & Infections 15(1).

With thanks to Chris Jones and Michelle Risi.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 26 June 2026

*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.

Near Threatened White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi, Auckland Islands, photograph by Graham Parker

The Fourth World Seabird Conference (WSC4), being organized by the World Seabird Union, will be held as a hybrid event in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia over 07-11 September 2026 with the overall theme “Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate”.

The World Seabird Union is launching its first Seabird Photo Contest as part of WSC4.  The contest is open to all in-person conference attendees and offers a chance to showcase seabird photography from around the world.  Submitted photos in electronic format must feature a seabird as the main subject and include a watermark displaying the photographer’s name.

All entries will be displayed on screens throughout the conference so all attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy the photos and choose their favourites.  There will be prizes for the top three photos, chosen by an independent judging panel, as well as the People’s Choice Award, which will be presented during the conference dinner on the evening of Thursday the 10th.

The deadline for submissions is midnight (UTC) 01 Augus 2026.  Entries will be made available on the WSU website after 10 August 2026.  For more information and to submit your photos, visit here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 25 June 2026