A Laysan and a Black-footed Albatross in flight; photograph by Eric Vanderwerf

Yukiko Inoue (Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Fisheries Resources Institute, Fisheries Stock Assessment Center, Shizuoka, Japan) and colleagues have published in the journal Ornithological Science, on an isotopic analysis of the diet of Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis and Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes in the Western North Pacific. 

The paper’s abstract follows, 

“In order to understand the diet of Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis and Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes in western North Pacific waters, we investigated isotopic differences between species, sexes and breeding stages. We measured carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the muscles and livers of albatrosses (caught during Japanese pelagic longline fishing) and in their potential prey. Both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of Black-footed Albatross were higher than those of Laysan Albatross. Delta¹³C of both species differed seasonally and δ¹³C was lower during the incubation period than during the chick-provisioning and non-breeding periods. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N levels of males did not differ from those of females in either species. Our results suggest that Black-footed Albatross forages on higher isotope prey items and/or Laysan Albatross forages on lower isotope prey items other than squid and fish and that δ¹³C varies in response to seasonal variation in prey availability. This implies that Black-footed Albatross forages more on discard from the fishing industry than does Laysan Albatross; this in turn may be related to the areas of operation sea area of the longline fisheries in the western North Pacific. In conclusion, it is important for conservation of these two albatross species to monitor their diets and foraging areas and to identify the species-specific high-risk areas where albatross bycatch is most likely.”

Reference: 

Inoue, Y., Nakatsuka, S., Niizuma, Y., Ochi, D., Katsumata, N., Okamoto, K., Ishihi, Y., Oshima, K. & Minami, H. 2023. Stable Isotope Differences among Species, Sexes, and Breeding Stages of Laysan and Black-Footed Albatrosses in the Western North Pacific. Ornithological Science 22(1), 3-14. https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.22.3

8 February 2023

Fit for World Heritage status: Wandering Albatrosses breed densely in Albatross Valley, Prince Edward Island, photograph by Peter Ryan

Note: Opinions expressed in ACAP Monthly Missives are not to be taken as those of the ACAP Secretariat or of any of the Agreement’s Parties.

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The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention, WHC) was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.  Currently, 167 nations are States Parties to the convention, with a total of 1154 inscribed properties.  Of this total, 252 are designated as Natural Sites.

All the 13 Parties to the Albatross and Petrel Agreement (ACAP) are States Parties of the World Heritage Convention.  Three countries (Japan, Mexico and the USA) with breeding populations of ACAP-listed species which are not Parties to the Agreement are also signatories to the WHC.  Ten of the 13 ACAP Parties have (or have had in the case of Norway) ACAP breeding sites within their territories; the exceptions being the South American countries of Brazil, Peru and Uruguay.  Therefore, 13 nations are responsible for all the world’s ACAP breeding sites.  There are two exceptions to this.  Firstly, there are numerous breeding sites for Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus and a single known site of the Near Threatened Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata that fall within the Antarctic Treaty Region.  Secondly, there is the special case of breeding populations that occur within territories that are of disputed ownership.

A Pink-footed Shearwater at its Chilean breeding site by Grisselle Chock, after a photograph by Peter Hodum

How many of these 13 nations have had ACAP breeding sites inscribed by the World Heritage Convention?  It turns out there are eight: five ACAP Parties (Australia, Ecuador, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) and the three non-ACAP countries mentioned above.  The 11 Natural Heritage Sites (listed here with brief descriptions) include breeding populations of 25 of the 31 ACAP-listed species.  Notably, France has attained World Heritage status for all its localities with breeding ACAP-listed species with the inscription in 2019 of the French Austral Lands and Seas Natural Site which includes the sub-Antarctic islands of Amsterdam, Crozets, Kerguelen and Saint-Paul.  Several other countries approach near complete coverage, including Australia and Ecuador, with only one breeding site for each not having World Heritage status.

WHC Parties signal their intention to nominate sites by first placing them on a Tentative List.  Five examples of ACAP-species breeding localities on Tentative Lists have been found.  They are:

• Chile’s Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park, listed in 1994, which supports the global population of Vulnerable Pink-footed Shearwaters Ardenna creatopus.
• Ecuador’s Parque Nacional Machalilla, listed in 1998, which includes a small population (around 12 pairs) of Critically Endangered Waved Albatrosses Phoebastria irrorata on La Plata Island. 
• New Zealand’s Whakarua Moutere ( North-East Islands) listed in 2007, which includes Little Barrier Island where Vulnerable Black Petrels Procellaria parkinsoni breed.
  
• Norway’s Islands of Jan Mayen and Bouvet as parts of a serial transnational nomination of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge system. which in 2007 added Bouvet Island, where Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus have been recorded breeding in the past but apparently no longer do so, due to the loss of suitable habitat by marine erosion.
• USA’s Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, listed in 2017, includes Wake Atoll where a few pairs of Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan immutabilis Albatrosses, both Near Threatened, have attempted breeding.

With the above as background, where is the scope, and the conservation value, for more ACAP breeding sites to be declared World Heritage Sites?  In addition to the five localities listed above that are already on Tentative Lists, two seemingly excellent candidates are identified here, followed by a consideration of potential sites that fall within Disputed Territories.

Torishima, Izu Islands, Japan – primary home of the Short-tailed Albatross, photograph by Hiroshi Hasegawa

Torishima, Japan

Japan’s Ogasawara Islands were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2011.  A few Vulnerable Short-tailed Albatrosses Phoebastria albatrus breed on Mukojima following a translocation exercise and on Nakodojima.  Black-footed Albatrosses also breed within the island group.  However, by far the majority of the global Short-tailed Albatross population is to be found on the uninhabited island of Torishima, in the Izu Islands group, which thus seems to be an ideal candidate for becoming a World Heritage Site.  The island may well qualify as a mixed (cultural/natural) site, given its chequered history of occupation and exploitation of its albatrosses.  As a first step Japan should consider placing the island on its Tentative List.

A satellite’s view of a rarely cloud-free Marion Island

Prince Edward Islands, South Africa

Following a recommendation by the then Prince Edward Islands Management Committee, South Africa nominated its sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands for inscription as a Natural Site by the WHC in 2006, having first placed the island group on its Tentative List.  However, a site visit in November 2006 by a retired British Antarctic Survey botanist on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which independently evaluates natural site nominations for the WHC, led to an unfavourable report which did not recommend inscription, despite noting that the two islands of Marion and Prince Edward together support a large number  (approximately half the global population) of Vulnerable Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans.  South Africa then withdrew its nomination prior to it being considered by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st Session in 2007.  At a later time South Africa removed its southern islands from its Tentative List.

The Prince Edward Islands are the only sub-Antarctic island group in the southern Indian Ocean that is not a World Heritage site.  Their listing as a natural site would complete coverage for the region and give further international status to the two islands: near-pristine Prince Edward and Marion, where active environmental management includes a project to eradicate the island’s remaining introduced mammal, the albatross-killing House Mouse Mus musculus.

As first steps, it is proposed South Africa replaces the Prince Edward Islands on its World Heritage Tentative List and considers revising and updating its original nomination document towards a new submission.  In any new submission it should take note of the designation of the Prince Edward Islands and their inshore kelp beds as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in May 2007, the declaration of a surrounding large Marine Protected Area in 2013, the adoption of a new environmental management plan in 2014 and the considerable amount of research and environmental management activities that have taken place on the islands and in the surrounding seas over the last 15 years.

Black-browed Albatrosses breed jam-packed to the horizon on Beauchêne Island, photograph by Anton Wolfaardt

Disputed Territories

There are three groups of islands supporting breeding ACAP species, that are nationally disputed, one in in the East China Sea and two in the South Atlantic.

The originally named Pinnacle Isles are claimed by the People’s Republic of China (as the Diaoyu Islands) and Japan (as the Senkaku Islands), as well as by the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) member economy of Chinese Taipei (as the Diaoyutai Islands). One of the islands in the group, Minami-Kojima (Nanxiao Dao in Chinese), supports a little-studied population of around 130 pairs of Short-tailed Albatrosses (click here).  This estimate, based on satellite photography, compares with the 550-600 breeding pairs on Torishima, which represents some 80-85% of the global population.

The disputed territories in the South Atlantic are the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* and South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)*, claimed by Argentina and the United Kingdom.  Both these island groups support populations of several ACAP-listed species.  It seems that in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)*, Beauchêne Island and all or some of the Jason Islands group (Islas Sebaldes) with their large populations of Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris (Least Concern) are deserving of World Heritage status, perhaps as a single site.  It is noted that geographically separate islands can form a single site, as witnessed by that for Gough and Inaccessible Islands, situated farther north in the South Atlantic.  Likewise, a good argument could be put forward for South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)* and its associated islets for World Heritage status, perhaps as a mixed site due to its whaling history.

However, it seems unlikely that any claimant would consider nominating a disputed territory to the World Heritage Convention, given that protests would inevitably follow from the other claimants.  Therefore, this monthly missive makes no recommendations as to their international status, leaving the above considerations as purely an academic exercise.

Note this is not in any way a full review of ACAP-species breeding sites and the role of the World Heritage Convention in their protection, which would require a longer list of potential candidates judged against the WHC’s criteria for natural sites.  Such a review is recommended and should make a good subject for a Master’s degree.

Selected Literature:

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2006.  Prince Edward Islands: World Heritage Nomination.  pp. 117 + appendices, maps & management plans.
World Heritage Committee 2007.  IUCN Evaluations of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List.  WHC-07/31.COM/INF.8B2.  pp. 11-18.
World Heritage Committee 2007.  Decisions adopted at the 31st Session of the World Heritage Committee (Christchurch, 2007.  WHC-07/31.COM/24.  p. 140.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 07 February 2023

*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

A White-capped Albatross on Disappointment Island, a part of the Auckland Islands group; photograph by Graham Parker

Barry Baker (Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Emu-Austral Ornithology, on the results of a 12-year population study of White-capped Albatrosses breeding on New Zealand’s Auckland Islands.

The paper’s abstract follows, 

“White-capped Albatrosses Thalassarche steadi breed only on New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands, principally the Auckland Islands. The species is commonly caught as bycatch in global longline and trawl fisheries, and it has been estimated that 8 000 birds are killed each year. In December or January between 2006 and 2017 we undertook annual population censuses of the White-capped Albatrosses breeding at the Auckland Islands using aerial photography. Estimated annual counts for the three breeding sites were adjusted using estimates of the proportion of birds clearly not associated with an active nest (loafers), to estimate annual breeding pairs for each breeding season. The estimated mean number of annual breeding pairs in the Auckland Islands during this period was 89 846 with high inter-annual variability (range: 74 031–116 025). Over the 12 years of the study adjusted counts for all sites combined showed a negative linear trend but this relationship was not statistically significant. Similar analyses using TRIM classified the population as ‘stable’. Given the estimated number of annual breeding pairs and the high frequency of biennial breeding it is likely that fisheries bycatch, if it has been estimated accurately, is impacting this population. Continuation of annual monitoring is recommended to increase the precision of the estimated population trend and help determine if the high levels of bycatch across multiple fisheries are sustainable in the long term.”

Reference:

Baker, G.B., Jensz, K., Cunningham, R., Robertson, G., Sagar, P., Thompson, D.R. & Double, M.C. 2023. Population assessment of White-capped Albatrosses Thalassarche steadi in New Zealand. Emu - Austral Ornithology. DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2022.2161915

6 February 2023

Greg Yost holds the waterlogged Laysan Albatross rescued at sea; photograph by Howie Grene

On 26 December last year a Laysan Albatross or Mōlī Phoebastria immutabilis was found waterlogged and struggling at sea about 2.5 km offshore from the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

The following edited account is taken from the Save our Shearwaters website:

“It was probably only a matter of minutes or hours before the albatross drowned,” said Howie Grene, one of the bird’s rescuers, “the wings were all out as he tried to keep himself afloat, his head was just barely above water and his body was submerged.”  The rescuers were able to safely capture the albatross and bring it (gender unconfirmed, suspected female) to Kaiakea Fire Station, where Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) staff collected the bird.  Its numbered leg band allowed it to be identified as an active nester, last seen incubating on 22 December within the wildlife refuge.

ANP081 sinks in SOS's conditioning pool due to its contaminated plumage; photograph by Amanda Parrish

Upon arrival at SOS, the albatross was assigned the patient ID number ANP081 and received a full examination.  It was noted that its plumage was covered in a light-yellow contaminant.  It was placed in SOS’s conditioning pool, where water quickly penetrated through the bird’s feathers all the way to the skin.

“It is vital that pelagic birds such as mōlī are completely waterproof prior to release,” said Jacqueline Nelson, Wildlife Rehabilitation Manager for SOS, “otherwise, water can reach their skin causing them to become hypothermic or have difficulty taking flight off the water and foraging for food.”

SOS staff wash ANP081 to remove contaminants from its feathers; photograph by Keane Sammon

As this patient was an active nester, time was of the essence to get it back into the wild as quickly as possible.  Trained SOS staff completed an extensive wash procedure to remove any contaminants from ANP081’s plumage.  The bird spent two additional days at the rehabilitation facility, where staff monitored buoyancy and checked to ensure its feathers remained dry while pooling.  After passing its final waterproofing and health evaluations, the bird was released successfully at Anahola Beach on 2 January.

ANP081 on Anahola Beach prior to taking off toward the sea; photograph by Jacqueline Nelson

On 7 January, KPNWR reported on their Facebook page that 64 mōlī eggs were crushed or eaten by pigs on Nihokū beginning on 22 December (click here).  KPNWR confirmed that ANP081’s nest was one of the ones that had been depredated by a pig.  This depredation event is suspected to be the cause of ANP081’s waterproofing issues because the yolk from its destroyed egg would explain the light-yellow substance found on its feathers.

US Fish and Wildlife Service staff, in coordination with Pacific Rim Conservation, have been working to finish expanding their predator-resistant fencing to encompass the area where these mōlī nests are located.  The fence is scheduled to be completed in just a few months (click here).

Heather Abbey-Tonneson, Refuge Complex Manager for KPNWR stated, "In addition to SOS, our partnerships with Pacific Rim Conservation, Pono Pacific, State of Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kauaʻi Endangered Seabird Recovery Project, and American Bird Conservation [sic] on our nearly 2-mile [c. 3 km] predator-resistant perimeter fence will protect mōlī and other species on 168 acres. [68 ha].”

John Cooper, Emeritus ACAP Information Officer, 03 February 2023