The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have been working together for many years to support talented early-career researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and other professionals to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in fields such as climate, biodiversity, conservation, humanities and astrophysics research by way of an annual funding opportunity.

For 2019, these Antarctic organisations are joined by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) who will each support additional Antarctic-related fellowships.  The fellowships enable early-career persons to join a project team from another country, opening up new opportunities and often creating partnerships that last for many years and over many Antarctic field seasons.  The deadline for the COMNAP and IAATO fellowship applications is 10 June 2019.

A Southern Giant  Petrel breeding on Candlemas Island in the maritime Antarctic, photograph by Andy Black

SCAR will offer three to four fellowships for 2019 and WMO will also support a number of fellowships through the SCAR operated scheme. The details for the SCAR scheme will be similar to previous years but with additional opportunities for candidates from WMO countries. Full details will be available at launch, later in 2019.

The fellowships are announced in conjunction with the Scientific Scholarship Scheme of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The CCAMLR Scholarship provides funding to assist early-career scientists to participate in the work of the CCAMLR Scientific Committee and its working groups over a period of two years. The objective of the scheme is to build capacity within the CCAMLR scientific community to help generate and sustain the scientific expertise needed to support the work of CCAMLR in the long-term.  This year there are two calls for CCAMLR scholarship applications, the first with a deadline of 29 March 2019, and the second with a deadline of 1 October 2019.

Click on the organizations above for more information.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 25 March 2019

Since opening its doors to patients in December 2014 the South Island Wildlife Hospital based in Christchurch, New Zealand has treated, rehabilitated and released many wild and native birds.

On 2 March this year the New Zealand's Department of Conservation delivered a globally Endangered and Nationally Critical Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis to the hospital.  Based on photographs it was considered to be a juvenile, possibly of the subspecies gibsoni according to a comment on the hospital’s Facebook page.  The bird was found on the beach at the Rakai River mouth south of Christchurch and was “very dehydrated, very hungry and near death”. Lots of fluids and lots of “sardine smoothies” later it was said to be looking better the next day.  The bird was X-rayed but no fish hooks had been swallowed.  Unfortunately, it died during the night of 4 March while still under care.  The bird had been present on the beach for at least four days before being collected, which would have exacerbated its dehydrated state.  Its corpse is to be sent for autopsy.

The Antipodean Albatross under care, photographs by the South Island Wildlife Hospital

Great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea are relatively rarely treated by wildlife hospitals or their equivalents, especially when compared to more inshore-foraging seabirds, such as cormorants or some penguin species.  A banded juvenile Wandering Albatross D. exulans (globally Vulnerable) from South Africa’s Marion Island turned up soon after it had fledged near Perth, Western Australia in 2006.  It was successfully rehabilitated and released at sea (click here).

With thanks to Karen Talbot, South Island Wildlife Hospital for providing updates on the albatross.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 March 2019

Jennifer Lavers (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation on using burrow scopes to determine population size of a burrowing seabird, the Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carneipes (globally Near threatened).

The paper’s abstract follows:

“One of the most fundamental aspects of conservation biology is understanding trends in the abundance of species and populations. This influences conservation interventions, threat abatement, and management by implicitly or explicitly setting targets for favourable conservation states, such as an increasing or stable population. Burrow-nesting seabirds present many challenges for determining abundance reliably, which is further hampered by variability in the quality of previous surveys. We used burrow scopes to determine the population status of Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes) at their largest colony on Lord Howe Island, Australia, in 2018. We estimated a breeding population of 22,654 breeding pairs (95% CI: 8159-37,909). Comparing burrow scope models used in 2018 found more than half of burrow contents (20/36 burrows examined) were classified differently. If this detection probability is applied retroactively to surveys in 2002 and 2009, we estimate that the Flesh-footed Shearwater population on Lord Howe has decreased by up to 50% in the last decade, but uncertainty around previous surveys’ ability to reliably determine burrow contents means a direct comparison is not possible. The decline in burrow density between 2018 and previous years adds further evidence that the population may not be stable. Our results highlight a need for regular surveys to quantify detection probability so that as video technology advances, previous population estimates remain comparable. We urge caution when comparing population counts of burrowing seabirds using different technologies, to ensure comparisons are meaningful.”

Photograph from the publication: views of the same occupied Flesh-footed Shearwater burrow on Lord Howe Island using two different burrow scopes

Reference:

Lavers, J.L., Hutton, I. & Bond, A.C. 2019.  Changes in technology and imperfect detection of nest contents impedes reliable estimates of population trends in burrowing seabirds.  Global Ecology and Conservation doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00579.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 21 March 2019

Airam Rodríguez (Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Seville, Spain) and many colleagues have published an open-access review in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science on threats facing those procellariiform seabirds other than albatrosses.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Shearwaters and petrels (hereafter petrels) are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all the world’s oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 124 species. They have bet-hedging life histories typified by extended chick rearing periods, low fecundity, high adult survival, strong philopatry, monogamy and long-term mate fidelity and are thus vulnerable to change. Anthropogenic alterations on land and at sea have led to a poor conservation status of many petrels with 52 (42%) threatened species based on IUCN criteria and 65 (52%) suffering population declines. Some species are well-studied, even being used as bioindicators of ocean health, yet for others there are major knowledge gaps regarding their breeding grounds, migratory areas or other key aspects of their biology and ecology. We assembled 38 petrel conservation researchers to summarize information regarding the most important threats according to the IUCN Red List of threatened species to identify knowledge gaps that must be filled to improve conservation and management of petrels. We highlight research advances on the main threats for petrels (invasive species at breeding grounds, bycatch, overfishing, light pollution, climate change, and pollution). We propose an ambitious goal to reverse at least some of these six main threats, through active efforts such as restoring island habitats (e.g., invasive species removal, control and prevention), improving policies and regulations at global and regional levels, and engaging local communities in conservation efforts.”

An ACAP-listed Grey Petrel, photograph by Peter Ryan

Read a popular account of the research publication here.  In 2017 ACAP held a one-day workshop on Pterodroma and other small burrowing petrels (AC10 Doc 14 Rev. 1) in Wellington, New Zealand.

Reference:

Rodriguez, A., Arcos, J.M., Bretagnolle, V., Dias, M.P., Holmes, N.D., Louzao, M., Provencher, J., Raine, A.F., Ramírez, F., Rodríguez, B.,  Ronconi, R.A., Taylor, R.S., Bonnaud, E., Borrelle, S.B., Cortés, V., Descamps, S.M., Friesen, V.L., Genovart, M., Hedd, A., Hodum, P., Humphries, G.R.W., Le Corre, M., Lebarbenchon, C., Martin, R., Melvin, E.F., Montevecchi, W.A., Pinet, P., Pollet, I.L., Ramos, R., Russell, J.C., Ryan, P.G., Spatz, D.R., Travers, M., Votier, S.C., Wanless, R.M., Woehler, E. & Chiaradia, A. 2019.  Future directions in conservation research on petrels and shearwaters.  Frontiers in Marine Science  doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00094.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 March 2019