UPDATE: Despite being described as eating well in captivity (on fish and prawns), the Grey-headed Albatross died in captivity on 07 June.  An autopsy to discover the cause of death is planned (click here).

The juvenile Grey-headed Albatross in captivity, photograph by Scott Brooks, The Petrel Station

A juvenile Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma recovered from a beach close to Tutukaka, Northland, New Zealand on 29 May has been taken into care at the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre. The globally Endangered and Nationally Vulnerable bird was entangled around its bill and a wing by nylon line attached to a fishing balloon so it was unable to fly. Balloons are used to keep live bait close to the sea surface and to float the bait out from the shore by recreational fishers in New Zealand targeting Kingfish or Yellowtail Seriola lalandi.

A close-up showing the dark juvenile bill, photograph by Scott Brooks, The Petrel Station

The Petrel Station reports on its Facebook page that the albatross is feeding well in captivity, so its early release is expected. Grey-headed Albatrosses are stated to be infrequent visitors this far north in New Zealand. The species breeds farther south on New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic Campbell Island.

A New Zealand fisher demonstrates how he avoids his fishing balloon becoming free when the fish takes the bait and polluting the ocean

World Albatross Day on 19 June this year has the theme of “Plastic Pollution”. Responsible recreational fishers can support the conservation of albatrosses by ensuring their ‘floater’ balloons do not escape to become marine litter and entangle marine wildlife.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 02 June 2023, updated 09 June 2023

A Grey-headed Albatross on its nest on Macquarie; the island supports seven species of ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels, photograph by Melanie Wells

Australia's Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek has “signed off” on plans to almost triple the size of the marine park around sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Established in 1999, the original park protected 162 000 km² of sea off the island's south-east coast. The Federal Government is now set to add an extra 385 000 km² to the marine park, fully surrounding the island, to reach an overall size of 475,465 km². Two months of public consultations resulted in more than 14 700 submissions, of which 99 % were in support of the marine park extension.

The expanded Macquarie Island Marine Park, situated in the Southern Ocean south of Tasmania, illustration from the Australian Department of Environment and Water

Ninety-three per cent of the expanded park, “an area larger than Germany”, will be completely closed to fishing, mining and other extractive activities. Restricted fishing, but not by bottom trawl, will continue to be allowed by the two current fishing companies, stated to be operating sustainably. The expanded park will “showcase how conservation and sustainable fishing can really work well together … to protect and manage our oceans for the future".

The development of a new management plan for the Macquarie Island Marine Park is now underway, according to the Minister’s media statement.

Australia’s Governor-General now needs to give the final sign-off, expected around month end.

Read an earlier post to ACAP Latest News on plans for the expanded marine park here.

09 June 2023

First proposed in 1992 as World Ocean Day, it was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 as World Oceans Day hosted by the UN’s Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs. Its theme for 8 June 2023 is “Planet Ocean: tides are changing”.

“The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support. With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life. The UN is joining forces with decision-makers, indigenous leaders, scientists, private sector executives, civil society, celebrities, and youth activist[s] to put the ocean first.”

World Ocean Day (without the ‘s’) is centered around activities by and for youth. In 2022 over 10 000 organizations and businesses organized over 50 000 events in 140 countries. Its website states that “World Ocean Day rallies the world for ocean and climate action on 8 June and throughout the year. We work in partnership with youth leaders, zoos, aquariums, museums, and other youth-focused organizations, as well as a huge range of diverse organizations and businesses from all sectors in a growing global network. Together, we effectively engage the public, inform policymakers, and unite the world to protect and restore our shared ocean and create a stable climate. Join the growing global movement in June and continue to grow the engagement and action year-round!”

In South Africa, a Party to the Albatross and Petrel Agreement, an Open Day for school children is being held today on World Oceans Day (and tomorrow) on its Antarctic research and supply vessel, the S.A. Agulhas II in Cape Town’s harbour, with 1000 learners expected. The South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy will be leading the World Oceans Day 2023 commemoration aboard the ship (click here).

Over the weekend the ship will be open to some 4000 members of the general public. Among the exhibits being held is one from the Mouse-Free Marion Project, that aims to rid Marion Island of its introduced House Mice that have taken to killing seabirds, including ACAP-listed albatrosses. ACAP’s Emeritus Information Officer will be on site helping to man the display and interacting with the youth that attend.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 08 June 2023

Figure 1 as described in the paper: a Location of the study site: Bird Island, South Georgia. The yellow rectangle shows the location and extent of plots shown in the lower panes. b Location of first and last landings (wet bouts) during the foraging trips of seabirds tracked between 2008 and 2019 during the incubation (‘INC’), brood-guard (‘BR’) and post-guard (‘PB’) breeding stages. BBA black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris), GHA grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma), LMA light-mantled albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata), WA wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and WCP white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis)

Eleanor W. M. Kowalska O’Neil (Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, UK) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Polar Biology on the rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels in the South Atlantic.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Seabirds often spend time on the water in the vicinity of their breeding colonies at the start or end of foraging trips, which may be for bathing, social interaction, information transfer, or to reduce predation risk for small petrels that prefer to return to land in darkness. Although such behaviour (hereafter rafting) is common, there are few data on variation in its incidence or timing across species, or analyses of relationships with intrinsic or extrinsic factors such as breeding stage (reflecting central-place foraging constraints) or weather. Here, we use GPS and immersion data collected over multiple years at Bird Island, South Georgia, to investigate rafting behaviour of four albatross and one burrow-nesting petrel species. Nearly all tracked birds (89%) landed within 10 km of the colony at the start of foraging trips for ~ 30 min, whereas only 17% did so at the end, suggesting they likely use rafting mainly for plumage maintenance after extended breeding shifts on land. Rafting duration, distance and bearing from the colony varied markedly according to species, wind speeds and period of the day (daylight vs. darkness), which may reflect differences in foraging direction, time constraints, degree of plumage soiling, diel activity patterns, or the requirement for high wind speeds for efficient flight. Given that all the study populations are decreasing, and most individuals make extensive use of nearshore waters during the breeding season, effective marine spatial planning is required that eliminates or mitigates human risks around their colonies.”

Reference:

Kowalska O’Neil, E.W.M., Frankish, C.K. & Phillips, R.A. 2023. Rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels at South Georgia. Polar Biol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-023-03146-4

7 May 2023