Protection of Antarctica’s marine environment received support at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress being held in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA when 107 governmental members (96%) voted in favour of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean.  Only four governmental members voted against the motion, although 45 abstained.  A total of 507 non-governmental organizations (97%) also voted in favour (click here).

The adopted IUCN Congress motion urges the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to designate marine reserves in the Ross Sea and East Antarctica.  Both proposed MPAs will offer formal support for the more southerly-ranging ACAP-listed species, such as Light-mantled Albatross Phoebastria palpebrata and Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, as well as for other marine biota.

Light-mantled Albatrosses, photograph by Aleks Terauds 

CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee and Commission meet in Hobart, Australia next month, when it is expected the proposed MPAs, will, once more, come up for discussion.

The IUCN represents over 1300 member organizations, including states, government agencies, scientific and academic institutions, business associates and non-governmental organizations.

Click here to read of previous progress by CCAMLR towards the new Antarctic MPAs.

A news item on the vote can be read here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 September 2016

The 6th International Albatross and Petrel Conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain over 19-23 September.  The Conference Programme and Abstract Book is now available (click here).

“In the book, you will find the provisional conference programme with all the presentations and posters, including useful information for presenters as well as on the conference venue and social events.  If you are registered, you will receive a printed copy of the book at your arrival at the conference so, please, don’t print it by yourself.  If you have any query concerning the programme and abstracts, please contact us as soon as possible.”

A popular science Video Session is scheduled on the last day of the conference. Delegates with a short (5-10 min) informative video of their research and/or conservation programmes are encouraged to bring it to the conference.  Send in the title, the duration, a brief description of the video (around 50 words) and a link to download it as soon as possible.

During the Conference we have organised a number of social events for all delegates.  The last day to register for the Tarragona pelagic trip on 19 September is 15 September. The last day to register for the Cap de Creus pelagic trip and Aiguamolls de l’Empordà, to the Ebro Delta and Delta Birding Festival, to Codorniu Winery and Cellars, and for the conference dinner is Tuesday the 20th.

The final deadline to register for the Conference is 10 September.  Communicate with the conference organizers via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 September 2016

The Friends of Midway Atoll NWR have recently reported on the most recent counts of breeding albatrosses on the atoll in the North-Western Hawaiian Islands as follows.

“Hatch year 2015 far surpassed any previous documented year for nesting Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge with 666 044 pairs recorded.  The 2015 year count for Laysan Albatross represents a 52% increase over the average number for the period from hatch years 2010 to 2014.  Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes nesting pairs came in at 28 610 for the atoll, also a new record, up just over 18% from the 2010-2014 average.  The previous high year for Laysan Albatross was 2006 with 487 527 - whereas for Black-footed Albatross, the previous high was 28 581 in 2011.

The reference “hatch year 2015” defines the albatross breeding season from the time eggs were laid in November 2014, hatched in January 2015, and expected to leave Midway Atoll NWR by July 2015.”

Illustrations courtesy of Friends of Midway NWR and US Fish & Wildlife Service 

For graphs, photos, and video of the count effort and albatross mating and nesting activity on Midway Atoll click here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 September 2016

A series of short presentations entitled "Seabirds at the crossroads: Perspectives, Challenges and Solutions" touching on various aspects of seabird conservation with a focus on multiple disciplines and the potential for synergistic collaborations will be held all over the space of an hour on Sunday 4 September at the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place this week in the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA.

“Seabirds breed on land, feed at sea, and cover vast distances, often crossing entire ocean basins.  These characteristics require conservation approaches that are holistic and based on multiple disciplines.  This event will highlight conservation challenges and cutting-edge solutions grounded in biology, economics, governance, and sociology.  Because of their highly migratory nature, seabird conservation solutions provide spill-over benefits to the marine ecosystems as a whole.”

Laysan Albatrosses at Hawaii's Kaena Point, photograph by Lindsay Young

A list of the speakers and their presentation titles follows:

Seabirds at the crossroads: perspectives, challenges and solutions - Lisa Ballance

Global and regional priorities for seabird conservation - Kyle Van Houtan

Feathered oceanographers: seabirds as bio-indicators - David Hyrenbach

Seabirds: part of the ocean’s “benefits package” - Summer Martin

Racing climate change to the crossroads - David Duffy & Beth Flint

Restoration science:  combining passive and active seabird restoration techniques – Lindsay Young

Fisheries technology:  mitigating unintended mortality - Eric Gilman

Economics:  incentives-based approaches to mitigate bycatch - Dale Squires

Fisheries management: seabirds competing for food with fisheries? - Charlotte Boyd

Governance:  has progress stalled in protecting seabirds through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations? - Karen Baird

Sociology:  community-based solutions for lasting stewardship - Michelle Hester

Communications: do seabirds have a PR problem? - Chris Gaskin

Seabirds at the crossroads: where do we go from here? - Eileen Sobeck

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 31 August 2016