Stefan Schoombie (FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the African Journal of Marine Science on the changing population trends in Sooty Phoebetria fusca and Light-mantled P. palpebrata Albatrosses at South Africa's Marion Island.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Sub-Antarctic Marion Island is one of the few islands where both species of Phoebetria albatrosses breed sympatrically.  The last published assessment of their population trends, which reported counts up to 2008, concluded that the numbers of breeding pairs of sooty albatrossP. fusca (Endangered) were decreasing, whereas numbers of light-mantled albatrossP. palpebrata (Near Threatened) were increasing.  Extending the counts to 2014 reversed these trends, with numbers of sooty albatrosses increasing from 2006 to 2014, and numbers of light-mantled albatrosses decreasing from 2007 to 2014.  Confidence in island-wide counts is low due to the cryptic nature of the albatrosses on their largely inaccessible cliff-side nest sites, as well as counts for sooty albatrosses taking place late in the incubation period when 10−20% of nests have already failed.  Given the greater conservation concern for the sooty albatross, we recommend that dedicated annual counts be conducted during the early incubation period, and be repeated shortly after the chicks hatch (late December), mid-way through the nestling period (late February) and prior to fledging (late April), to give a better idea of breeding success.  Count zones also should be revised to facilitate more accurate counts, ensuring more reliable estimates of sooty albatross population trends at Marion Island.”

Sooty Albatross chick on Marion Island, photograph by Marienne de Villiers

The paper will be discussed at the Third Meeting of ACAP's Population and Conservation Status Working Group, being held today and tomorrow in La Serena, Chile (click here).

With thanks to Rob Crawford and Susan Mvungi. 

Reference:

Schoombie, S., Crawford, R.J.M., Makhado, A.B., Dyer, B.M. & Ryan, P.G. 2016.  Recent population trends of sooty and light-mantled albatrosses breeding on Marion Island.  African Journal of Marine Science 38:  119-127.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 May 2016

A National Plan of Action Seabirds-Trawling for the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* was produced in 2004, with an update produced five years later.  A second revision was produced in December 2014 but is, as yet, not available online.

The latest version of the plan’s overview text written by Marine Quintin and Joost Pompert follows:

“The 2014 Falkland Islands National Plan of Action Seabirds-Trawling (FI-NPOA-S-T-2014) outlines a four year strategy that strives to further reduce seabird mortalities due to interactions with trawlers, specifically by understanding and trialling discard management for the future and long-term implementation on vessels.  Following FAO guidelines, a Seabird Interaction Management Strategy is described making recommendations based on five interconnected components: 1. Observer coverage, 2. mitigation measures, 3. by-catch objectives, 4. research and 5.development and education.  Each sector of the trawl fleet is considered separately when recommendations diverge.  The Seabird By-catch Committee (SBC), composed of representatives from the FIFD and other sectors of government (Environmental Planning Department or EPD), the fishing industry (through their umbrella organisation FIFCA), the JNCC ACAP coordinator and one NGO (Falklands Conservation or FC) is recommended to work more actively.  The duty of the SBC is to conduct regular evaluations of the progress of this plan and act as an advisory body for and report to the Fisheries Committee and the Environmental Committee.

In adopting and implementing the FI-NPOA-S-T-2014, the Falkland Islands will ensure compliance with domestic and international policies and conventions and build on its international reputation for responsible and sustainable management of its fishery.”

Black-browed Albatrosses gather behind a trawler in the South Atlantic, photograph by Graham Parker

With thanks to Joost Pompert for information.

References:

Quintin, M. & Pompert, J. 2014.  Falkland Islands National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Trawl Fisheries, 2014 (FI-NPOA-S-T-2014).  Stanley: Fisheries Department, Directorate of Natural Resources.  28 pp. [not available on-line, contact the ACAP Information Officer for a PDF].

Sancho, E. 2009.  Falkland Islands National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Trawl Fisheries. [Stanley]: Falklands Conservation.  40 pp.

Sullivan, B. 2004.  Falkland Islands Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Trawl Fisheries.  Stanley: Falklands Conservation. 43 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 May 2016

*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.

Sebastián Jiménez (Recursos Pelágicos, Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos , Montevideo, Uruguay) and colleagues will be tabling an Information Paper (SBWG7 Inf 23.5) at the Seventh Meeting of ACAP’s Seabird Bycatch Working Group in Chile this week that reports on Uruguay’s update of its National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (previously reported in ACAP Latest News – click here).

The Information Paper’s summary follows:

“Uruguay has recently revised the NPOA-Seabirds.  The NPOA-Seabirds 2015 establishes the following mitigation measures.  Vessels operating with pelagic longline: obligatorily use of I) night setting in combination with at least one of the following two measures: II) bird scaring line and / or III) weight ≥60 g attached in the branch lines within 1 m of the hook.  Vessels operating with demersal longline fishing for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and related species: i) Mammals and Birds Excluding Device (DEMA, i.e. drop lines with nets) or II) minimum weight on the line that ensures sink rate ≥ 0.3m/s at 10 m depth, in combination with one of the following two measures: A) bird scaring line or B) night setting.  In the event that other demersal longline or semi-pelagic fisheries start operating in the near future, mitigation measures are as follow: I) minimum weight on the line in combination with one of the following two measures: A) bird scaring line or B) night setting.  The impact of the trawl fishery for Argentinean hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is currently under research.  Under a precautionary approach, to reduce seabird mortality in trawl cables the use of the following mitigation measures is recommended: I) bird scaring line and II) reduce discards.  In order to reduce the capture of birds on the net the following measures are recommended: I) cleaning up the net before setting and II) reduce the exposure time of the net on the surface of the sea.”

Sebastián Jiménez  holds up a copy of Uruguay's revised NPOA-Seabirds at the Chile meeting 

References:

Domingo, A., Forselledo, R., Jiménez, S. (Eds). 2015.  Revisión de planes de acción nacional para la conservación de aves marinas y condrictios en las pesquerías uruguayas.  Montevideo: Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos.  196 pp

Domingo, A., Jiménez, S. & Passadore, A. 2006 (online) & 2007 (paper).  Plan de Acción Nacional para Reducir la Captura Incidental de Aves Marinas en las Pesquerías Uruguayas. Dirreción Nacional de Recurcos Acuáticos.  75 pp.

Jiménez, S., Pin, O. & Domingo, A. 2015.  Plan de Acción Nacional para Reducir la Captura Incidental de Aves Marinas en las Pesquerías Uruguayas, 2015.  In: Domingo, A., Forselledo, R. & Jiménez, S. (Eds).  Revisión de Planes de Acción Nacional para la Conservación de Aves Marinas y Condrictios en las Pesquerías Uruguayas.  Montevideo: Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos.  pp. 11-79.

Jiménez, S., Pin, O. & Domingo, A. 2016.  Revised National Plan of Action to Reduce Seabirds Bycatch in Uruguayan fisheries (NPOA-Seabirds 2015).  Seventh Meeting of the Seabird Bycatch Working Group La Serena, Chile, 2 - 4 May 2016.  SBWG7 Inf 23. 5 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 May 2016

The 2016 round of formal meetings of the Albatross and Petrel Agreement is being held in the coastal city of La Serena, Chile over this and next week.

The Ninth Meeting of ACAP’s Advisory Committee (AC9) will be held next week over 9 – 13 May.  AC9 is being preceded by the Seventh Meeting of the AC’s Seabird Bycatch Working Group (SBSWG7) from today through to Wednesday.  It will be followed by the Third Meeting of the AC’s Population and Conservation Status Working Group on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 May.  The three meetings are being held at the beach-side Hotel Club La Serena.  La Serena lies 470 km north of Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Twenty-one of the SBSWG’s 27 expert members are attending the working group meeting along with 18 others present as observers or as members of the ACAP Secretariat.  SBSWG7 is being chaired by its Convener Anton Wolfaardt (UK), supported by Igor Debski (New Zealand) and Tatiana Neves (Brazil).  The Working Group’s Terms of Reference are also available online.

SBSWG7 gets underway

Marco Favero (Argentina) and Barry Baker (Australia) look towards the head table with Tatiana Neves, Anton Wolfaardt and Igor Debski facing the camera

Barbara Wienecke (Australia) discusses the day's proceedings with Anton Wolfaardt and Igor Debski 

Documents and Information Papers being discussed at SBSWG7 this week can be consulted online (click here).  Note that some of the papers are password-protected and so only their abstracts are available online.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 May 2106