Chocolate mud cake by Nick Baker, Chef, Macquarie Island Research Station, photograph by Simon Payne

The aptly named Nick Baker is the current chef at the Macquarie Island Research Station.  A veteran of nearly three winters he contributed his masterpiece, presumably virtually, to the Australian Antarctic Division’s Albicake Bake Off in recognition of World Albatross Day last month.  He writes “The nest is a chocolate mud cake with raspberry gelato albatross, covered in crispy meringue in the shape of a light mantled albatross.  Adorned with white chocolate ‘poo’ splatters surrounded by grasses of the green sponge.  I was inspired by the fluffy cuteness of the Sooty Albatross chicks on the slopes around Macca.”

Nick Baker on Macquarie Island, photograph by Billy Wallace

ACAP is relieved to note that “No albatrosses were harmed in the eating of the cakes.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 July 2021

Antipodean Albatross: a New Zealand endemic at risk from fisheries bycatch; artwork by Kitty Harvill after a photograph by Kirk Zufelt

New regulations and funding in New Zealand will see surveillance cameras fitted to 300 inshore fishing vessels.  The measure aims to both record bycatch of seabirds and marine mammals and reduce the at-sea discarding of non-target fish.  Use of cameras was trialled on 20 vessels in 2019 and will now be rolled out for 85% (by volume of catch) of the fishing fleet.  The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries David Parker announced last month that “funding is now in place for the wider roll out of on-board cameras, delivering on a promise made at the 2020 election. The cost of the roll-out is expected to be [NZ]$68 million over the next four years.  On-board cameras will provide independent, accurate information about commercial fishing activity.  That will provide greater certainty and more evidence on which to base decisions about policy and regulation, scientific research, and fisheries management.  The roll-out will be staged to prioritise those vessels that pose the greatest risk to protected species such as Hector’s and Māui dolphins, black petrels and Antipodean albatross. When complete, cameras will record activity on vessels responsible for about 85 per cent of the inshore catch by volume”.

The move has been welcomed by Birds New Zealand.  The society said it supported the moves to put surveillance cameras on up to 300 inshore fishing boats as a way to provide more accurate bycatch data and help ensure compliance with the new rules.  A fisheries spokesperson commented that “the cameras will help ensure commercial fishing boats bring back to port all of the fish they catch, instead of throwing undersized fish overboard.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 July 2021

Good then to hear from Kitty recently that her painting of all the world’s 22 albatross species (which ACAP turned into a poster for last year’s World Albatross Day) was accepted for an international exhibition and subsequent inclusion in a limited-edition 240-page book Artists for Conservation 2020, published as a companion to the exhibition.  She explains:: “It is an honour for me to be a Signature member of Artists for Conservation.  And an even greater honour to be accepted into their annual international exhibitions.  In 2020, my painting of all 22 species of albatrosses under the protection of ACAP was selected for inclusion.  My hope is that it can help raise awareness for the conservation of these majestic seabirds.  Thank you to the photographers who graciously donated their photographs as reference for this work and to John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, who works tirelessly in his dedication to their conservation.”

  All for One, One for All – Albatross; poster by Kitty Harvill

ACAP hopes that its collaboration with ABUN, and with Kitty Harvill, will be able to continue, including with future annual World Albatross Days on 19 June.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 30 June 2021

Exchanging eggs on Kauai; photograph by Hob Osterlund

Activities directed at improving the conservation status of the Near Threatened Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis in the USA’s Hawaiian Islands have included working towards eradicating predatory House Mice on Midway Atoll, predator-proof fencing an existing breeding colony and attempting to create a new colony safe from predicted sea-level rise on Oahu and giving fertile eggs to female-female pairs to incubate and rear the ensuing chicks as their own on Kauai.  The conservation work with Kauai’s Laysan Albatrosses has now been recognized with an award, as described below.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) received this year’s Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award, in recognition of the Wildlife Services program’s efforts to conserve large native migratory birds and protect people in Hawaii.  APHIS Wildlife Services conducted a joint research-operational project with the goal of reducing human-wildlife conflicts associated with two bird species of cultural significance: the Hawaiian goose, or nēnē, and the Laysan albatross, or mōlī.  Because of their large size, both species pose a potential aircraft strike risk near airfields in some areas of Hawaii.  Wildlife Services research and operations personnel collaborated with numerous partners not only to reduce aircraft strike hazards presented by these species, but also to identify, preserve, enhance, and support important breeding and foraging habitats for the birds elsewhere on the island. The project employed innovative nonlethal management tools, such as canine teams for dispersing birds, mitigation translocation, and egg swaps, and conducted research to gauge the impact and effectiveness of these tools, which will guide future management strategies.

Laysan albatross, the Pacific region’s second-largest seabird, commonly return to the same site for breeding and nesting year after year.  Since the 1970s, nesting Laysan albatross have frequented a naval airfield on the island of Kauai, creating hazardous conditions for both birds and military aviators.  The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) began partnering in the 1980s with Wildlife Services to reduce wildlife hazards at the facility including the relocation of adult Laysan albatrosses.  Since 2009, Wildlife Services has collected more than 600 albatross eggs, transferring them to conservation partners with expertise in raising eggs to hatching and helping albatross chicks establish nesting colonies in more suitable habitats.  The partners hoped that the fledged albatross chicks eventually would return to the adopted nesting site. In 2018, the first albatross, which had hatched at an egg swap location, returned to its adopted site after three years traveling around the Pacific Ocean. Wildlife Services research efforts began in 2018 and use radio-tracking technologies to determine the most effective methods for reducing albatross presence on the PMRF and increasing aviation safety. Research findings provide evidence that mitigation translocation within island ecosystems can benefit both humans and birds.”

Among the many co-applicants named in the award nomination ae two NGOs, Kauai Albatross Network and Pacific Rim Conservation, that over the years, have continued to support ACAP in its efforts to increase awareness of the conservation needs of albatrosses, especially the Laysan. “Mahalo” to them both.

Click here to read the complete post.

John Cooper. ACAP Information Officer, 29 June 2021