Graphical abstract, from the publication

Plastic ingestion by procellariiform seabirds has been regularly featured in ACAP Latest News, and was ACAP’s theme for World Albatross Day in 2023.  In a recently published open-access paper Sterre de Bruin (Wageningen Marine Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands) and colleagues discuss plastic ingestion by the Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.  The authors show that 89% of fulmars in the Newfoundland Banks had ingested plastic items.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Incidental studies of plastic ingestion by the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) over a wide geographical range can improve our understanding of the distribution of marine litter in the global oceans and of the processes involved. A sample of 37 stomachs from northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) collected in June 2021 near Flemish Cap at the eastern end of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland was analysed for the presence of plastic litter. Overall, 89 % of the birds contained plastic, with on average 6.6 particles, and a mass of 0.093 g per bird. No statistical differences were found in the quantity of plastic between males and females. A proportion of 27 % of all birds contained >0.1 g plastic, exceeding the Fulmar Threshold Value (FTV%) and international target of <10 %. Within an existing model that linked plastic abundance to latitude, the Newfoundland sample represented a clear outlier with a considerably lower FTV% compared to what would be expected. Flemish Cap is situated at the border between the southern tip of the cold and relatively clean Labrador Current coming from the north, and the warm and more polluted waters of the Gulf Stream further south. A logistic model using average annual sea surface temperatures representing North Atlantic current systems was applied and demonstrated a highly significant correlation, with the Newfoundland FTV% fitting much closer to the modelled prediction. This new model improves the understanding of geographical patterns in plastic uptake by fulmars."

Reference:

de Bruin, S., van Franeker, J.A., Meijboom, A., Jensen, J.-K., Jacobsen, B. & Kühn, S. 2025.  Plastics in stomachs of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) collected at Flemish Cap, Grand Banks of Newfoundland.  Marine Pollution Bulletin 215, 117894.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 May 2025

Newell’s Shearwater, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, photograph by Lindsay Young

Chris Gaskin (Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust) and colleagues have authored a seabird survey and monitoring manual for the Pacific region that has been published by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.  The manual covers a suite of seabird species, including albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, that breed and occur within the Pacific Ocean,

The report’s abbreviated Executive Summary follows:

“The Pacific islands region served by the Secretariat of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) covers 32 million km² within the largest continuous marine habitat on the planet, the Pacific Ocean. Oceania is the collective name for the islands and island nations scattered across this region. The goal of this manual is to encourage and support seabird conservation and research across the region, particularly in areas where this work is just starting out.  We consider all of the proven methods and survey types that are currently in use across the region, to provide readers with the tools required to run successful seabird survey and monitoring programmes.  To further illustrate how successful projects can be undertaken, real world case studies are presented – written by experts currently working in the field.  By utilising the in-depth knowledge, experience and expertise of people who have worked successfully on a species, group of species or an ecosystem, readers can transfer these tried and tested methods to projects starting out elsewhere in Oceania.

For ease of use, the manual is presented in five distinct parts:

Part 1: OCEANIA SEABIRDS

Part 2: SURVEY TOOLS & TYPES

Part 3: MONITORING

Part 4: MANAGING DATA TO SUPPORT CONSERVATION

Part 5: RESOURCES”

Reference:

Gaskin, C.P., Lukies, K.A., Whitehead, E.A. & Raine, A.F. (Eds) 2025.  Pacific Seabird Survey & Part 5: RESOURCESManual: Tools to Support Seabird Conservation across Ecosystems in Oceania.  Apia, Samoa:  Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.  172 pp.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 07 May 2025

Enhanced Marine Protected Area measures came into force around the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur)* in the South Atlantic on 22 April 2025.  They are expected to give increased protection to ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels that breed on the islands and are at risk to longline and trawl fisheries.

“The strengthened protections, announced in early 2024 following the conclusion of a five-yearly expert review, include a significant expansion of areas closed to all fishing activity.  The newly designated ‘No Take Zones’ now cover over 470 000 km², representing 38% of the MPA. In addition, a further 31 000 km² of pelagic closed areas mean that krill fishing is now prohibited across more than half a million km² within the MPA.

“These enhancements build on [a] robust marine protection framework, where tourism and sustainable fisheries are strictly regulated.  Existing measures include seasonal closures that limit krill and toothfish fishing to winter months to reduce potential interactions with breeding seals and seabirds, as well as a ban on bottom trawl fishing across the entire 1.24 million km² MPA.”

Wandering Albatross breeding on Bird Island, photograph by Richard Phillips

“During the five months when highly regulated, licensed fishing is permitted, 40% of the MPA will now be closed to krill fishing.  Additionally, 95% of the MPA will be closed to longline fishing, with prohibitions applying within the general benthic closed area—spanning all depths shallower than 700 m and greater than 2250 m - as well as within a network of research benthic closed areas at fishable depths, designed to safeguard vulnerable habitats and species.

“The greatly expanded and interconnected network of No Take Zones not only protects the most biodiverse and potentially vulnerable marine habitats but also includes regions identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs).”

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 06 May 2025

*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.

Wisdom’s 2024/25 chick. April 2025, photograph by Dan Rapp

The following edited news article written by Ann Bell for the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge gives information on the current offspring of Wisdom, the atoll’s Layan Albatross Phoebetria immutabilis, who will be well known to regular readers of ACAP Latest News.

“Wisdom, a 74+ year old Laysan Albatross, which makes her the world's oldest known banded bird in the wild, has a banded chick and a known grand chick this year.  We are sure she has more grand kids and great grand kids.  However, it is happenstance when humans are able to locate her banded kin in the seemingly never-ending sea of albatross chicks on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge/Battle of Midway National Memorial.

Wisdom's Chick

Wisdom's chick is somewhat of a late bloomer this year with its hatching date being towards the end of the season.  Currently, Midway Atoll is blanketed in albatross chicks sitting alone waiting for days on end for a parent to show up with food.  Each parent must expend extra energy searching the surface of the high seas in order to feed themselves and bring back enough squid and floating masses of fish eggs for them to feed to their growing chick.  This is the time of year when chicks seem to slowly loose or gain mass.  Therefore, we are beyond hoping the best for this chick, which would make it Wisdom's youngest of approximately 35 chicks she has reared.

Wisdom's Grand Chick

Wisdom’s 2024/25 grand chick via her son N333, April 2025, photographs by Dan Rapp

Wisdom's grand chick appears to be doing well and was totally ‘working it' during its photo shoot by the family's personal photographer Dan Rapp.  Wisdom's grand chick is living the life protected in a very elevated dune line created by naupaka bushes.”

ACAP Latest News will report on the two breeding attempts as information becomes available.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 May 2025