Kirk Hart (Korea Institute of Ornithology & Department of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea) and colleagues have published in the journal Forktail on the status and conservation of the Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas on the Korean Peninsula.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“About 90% of the global population of Streaked Shearwaters Calonectris leucomelas breed on islands in the seas around Japan.  The species’s [sic] status and distribution in Japan is fairly well documented, but for the Korean part of the breeding range, only limited information in Korean language sources exists.  The species was first described in Korea in the 1880s and first studied on the breeding grounds by Japanese researchers in 1923.  Our objectives were to compare and update information on the distribution of Streaked Shearwaters around the Korean Peninsula and discuss threats and conservation.  An extensive literature review was undertaken and we made field visits to Chilbal Island, Ulleung Island, Gwan-eum Island and Juk Island to assess the presence and status of the species at these locations.  In total, we collated data from 27 Korean islands of which 19 had confirmed Streaked Shearwater colonies, four possibly had colonies, one had no colony and the species had probably been extirpated from the other three.  The biggest threat to the Korean colonies is from introduced predatory mammals such as rats Rattus sp. and domestic cats and dogs. Introduced predators are present on at least 10 of the 24 islands where Streaked Shearwaters currently breed, have bred or are evidently present. Introduced species severely reduce reproductive success on Sasu Island and have caused or contributed to extirpation on three other islands.  Other threats include fisheries bycatch, oil spillage and military activity.”

Streaked Shearwater

Reference:

Hart, K.A., Choi, C.-Y., Bond, A.L., Humphries, G.R.W., Yoo, J.-C. & Nam, K.-B. 2015.  Streaked Shearwaters Calonectris leucomelas of the Korean Peninsula: distribution, status and potential threats.  Forktail 31: 55–63.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 May 2016

Susan Waugh (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) and colleagues have an in-press paper with the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series that considers the overlap between foraging areas of the Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes, previously identified as a potential candidate for ACAP listing, and New Zealand fisheries.

Flesh-footed Shearwater at sea, photograph by Tim Reid

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Although the flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes is a species with large population sizes (10s of 1000s of breeding pairs) and widespread sub-tropical distribution across Australasian water masses, it is amongst the species most threatened by longline fisheries mortality in this region.  While bycatch mitigation measures have been very successful in reducing mortality in some species, bycatch of flesh-footed shearwaters is still high with captures estimated to exceed the sustainable take of 514 birds per year by nearly 200 birds for New Zealand fisheries alone.  Management agencies aiming to reduce the impact of fisheries mortality on the populations need to understand which marine areas are being used by flesh-footed shearwaters, to better target fishery monitoring and mitigation efforts.  Foraging studies of seabirds tell us about their use of resources, the way species segregate the available habitat and help to identify threats that may affect population viability.  Breeding shearwaters were tracked from 2 New Zealand colonies using GPS loggers.  Individuals foraged over shelf and deep oceanic waters up to 1200 km from their nesting sites during incubation, but were mainly within 370 km during early chick-rearing.  The intensity of potential interactions increased for trawl and surface longline fishing between the January and February study periods, but remained at a similar level for bottom longline fishing.  Following the field data collection, changes to fishery monitoring were implemented in the areas where shearwaters foraged.” 

References:

Cooper, J. & Baker, G.B. 2008.  Identifying candidate species for inclusion within the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Marine Ornithology 36: 1-8.

Waugh, S.M., Patrick, S.C., Filippi, D.P., Taylor, G.A. & Arnould, J.P.Y. 2016.  Overlap between flesh-footed shearwater Puffinus carneipes foraging areas and commercial fisheries in New Zealand waters.  Marine Ecology Progress Series  doi: 10.3354/meps11741.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 May 2016

A long-running research and conservation management project requires three people to work on Gough Island in the central South Atlantic Ocean for 13 months, with an additional month for training prior to departure.  These contract positions are designed primarily to conduct annual monitoring of breeding seabirds (two positions), and to control the invasive plant Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina procumbens (one position, although all staff will take part in all activities and will be trained in rope access).

The seabird monitoring positions are responsible for annual monitoring of breeding success, survival, population counts, and other field work for 14 breeding species [including four ACAP-listed species] throughout the entire year.  The Sagina position is responsible for control and eradication work on Sagina from the steep cliffs adjacent to the weather station on Gough Island. If required, training in rope-access techniques (IRATA Level 1 or equivalent) will be provided prior to departure to Gough Island for team members.

The candidates will be joining and living with the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) over-wintering team of usually six people, and will also be required to work within the requirements of SANAP’s over-wintering teams. It will be an asset if the post holders have prior experience of working with one or more other team members.

A female Tristan Albatross incubates on Gough Island, photograph by John Cooper

Requirements–Monitoring (two positions)

The successful applicants should have experience in:

Bird banding/ringing, safe handling of birds,
Conducting surveys and censuses for breeding seabirds,
Managing large amounts of data,
Abseil rope-access techniques, and/or climbing experience, and
Undertaking fieldwork in a mountainous environment and inclement weather conditions.

Additional skills that would benefit a candidate include:

Banding/ringing permit
Blood sampling, attaching biologging devices, and
Post-graduate research degree.

Requirements – Sagina (one position)

The successful applicants should have experience in:

Abseil rope-access techniques, and/or climbing experience,
Undertaking fieldwork in a mountainous environment and inclement weather conditions,
Working on remote islands (or equivalent remote locations), and
Undertaking plant eradication projects and firm understanding of eradication principles.

Additional skills that would benefit a candidate include alien plant eradication techniques

Requirements – all positions

Applicants must demonstrate:

An ability to live and work in a very small team on one of the world’s most remote islands for a prolonged period,
High levels of physical fitness, adaptability and a strong work ethic, and

Aptitude and/or proven experience in successfully undertaking unsupervised fieldwork, with safety as a first priority.

The successful applications will have skills/qualifications in:

A degree or equivalent qualifications or experience in a science/conservation discipline, ideally with some work experience in conservation/wildlife related fieldwork and research

Details of the jobs

Conduct fieldwork according to a work-plan devised by the project managers

Assist biological research, Sagina control, fieldwork and monitoring as required

Make day-to-day decisions about work priorities and fieldwork protocols

Maintain accurate records of the work and computer databases of the work

Regularly report to & update the project managers on progress

Be responsible for data quality and reporting, and on-site training as needed (Senior Research Assistant only)

Salary: £16,000 - £18,000 (Research Assistant), £19,000 - £21,000 (Senior Research Assistant) a year, plus transport, food, and accommodation.

Starting date: 04 July 2016 – 25 October 2017; please note, due to the preparation requirements needed for training, the start date is fixed.

How to apply: Send a cover letter outlining your experience and qualifications, CV, and contact information (including telephone numbers) for three references as a single PDF document to John Kelly, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK  (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by midnight BST on 31 May 2016.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 May 2016

Claire Tancell (Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK) and colleagues have published in the journal Biological Conservation on using tracked procellariiform seabirds to further marine spatial planning in the South Atlantic.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Tracking of seabirds at sea is valuable for marine spatial planning.  Many seabirds are of conservation concern, including albatrosses and large petrels (Procellariiformes) which face a major threat from mortality in fisheries.  We examine how important areas used by seven of these species breeding at South Georgia change throughout the year, based on tracking data collected between 1991 and 2012, and discuss the implications for spatial management in the region within the current jurisdictional framework.

Foraging areas overlapped with a patchwork of national and international management organizations, and areas outside clear jurisdiction.  National waters were generally unimportant, besides that of South Georgia.  The other exception was Falkland Islands coastal waters, which were important for wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans during incubation, and were opened for new oil and gas drilling in 2015.  The marine protected area established at the South Orkney Islands protects very little habitat used by the tracked seabirds; however, a northern extension of this would benefit a number of species at different breeding stages.

The area around South Georgia was important year-round, including in periods when fishing is allowed.  A contiguous region to the north of this was also important and here, mechanisms should be improved to ensure compliance with bird bycatch mitigation recommendations.  The study highlighted the use of tracking for identifying key areas for pelagic albatrosses and petrels, and the advantages of incorporating these data into a multilateral approach to marine spatial planning to ensure the future conservation of these highly-threatened marine predators.”

Wandering Albatross at sea in the South Atlantic, photograph by John Chardine

With thanks to Richard Phillips.

Reference:

Tancell, C., Sutherland, W.J. & Phillips, R.A. 2016.  Marine spatial planning for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels breeding at South Georgia.  Biological Conservation  198: 165-176.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 May 2016