Ann Edwards (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) and colleagues have published open-access and online in the journal PLoS ONE on the foraging strategies of Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis in relation to fisheries as deduced from stable isotope analyses.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Fatal entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of population decline for albatross globally, a consequence of attraction to bait and fishery discards of commercial fishing operations.  We investigated foraging strategies of Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), as inferred from nitrogen and carbon isotope values of primary feathers, to determine breeding-related, seasonal, and historic factors that may affect the likelihood of association with Alaskan or Hawaiian longline fisheries.  Feather samples were collected from live birds monitored for breeding status and breeding success on Midway Atoll in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, birds salvaged as fisheries-bycatch, and birds added to museum collections before 1924.  During the chick-rearing season (sampled April-May), means and variances of stable isotope values of birds with the highest, most consistent reproductive success were distinct from less productive conspecifics and completely different from birds caught in Hawaiian or Alaskan longline fisheries, suggesting birds with higher multi-annual reproductive success were less likely to associate with these fisheries.  Contemporary birds with the highest reproductive success had mean values most similar to historic birds.  Values of colony-bound, courting prebreeders were similar to active breeders but distinct from prebreeders caught in Alaskan longline fisheries.  During the breeding season, δ15N values were highly variable for both contemporary and historic birds.  Although some historic birds exhibited extremely low δ15N values unmatched by contemporary birds (< 11.2‰), others had values as high as the highest fishery-associated contemporary birds.  During the non-breeding season (sampled July-September), isotopic variability coalesced into a more narrow set of values for both contemporary and historic birds.  Our results suggest that foraging strategies of Laysan albatross are a complex function of season, breeding status, and multi-annual breeding success, factors that likely affect the probability of association with fisheries.

Laysan Albatross, photograph by James Lloyd

Reference:

Edwards, A.E., Fitzgerald, S.M., Parrish, J.K., Klavitter, J.L. & Marc D. Romano, M.D. 2015.  Foraging strategies of Laysan Albatross inferred from stable isotopes: implications for association with fisheries.  PLoS ONE  10(7): e0133471.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133471.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 August 2015

“The last vestiges of light are fading over Paparoa National Park, Westland in the South Island of New Zealand.  As the skies darken, a magnificent silhouette can be seen soaring above a small group of scientists.  Soon one silhouette becomes many and within fifteen minutes of the first sighting, birds begin to plummet down into the bush, hitting the ground with a disarming crash.  There ensues a cacophony of sound as birds call to their nesting partners, or perhaps to each other – a wild kind of party on the forest floor in this remote part of the country.”

Kate Whitley of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa explains in her illustrated on-line account how to extract an ACAP-listed and Vulnerable Westland Petrel Procellaria westlandica from its burrow at the species’ only breeding site.  A burrowscope is first used to check for presence, the birds are then carefully removed (with gloves!) so that previously fitted GPS loggers can be downloaded of the birds' at-sea movements.

Westland Petrel, photograph by Susan Waugh

“The local community [is] embracing the fact that they have a unique Petrel colony on their doorstep, and this year launched the inaugural ‘Return of the Westland Petrel’ festival.  The highlight of the festival was a beach parade where locals could witness the birds soaring in overhead on their return to the nesting site.”

One of the May festival’s highlights was also the unveiling of a huge model petrel in a tree above the entertainment stage (click here).

Click here for the whole article by Kate.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 August 2015

The Pacific Seabird Group will hold its 43rd Annual Meeting over four days from 10-13 February 2016 at Turtle Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA, with seabird professionals from across North America and the Pacific expected to attend.  The Local Committee Chair is albatross researcher This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. of Pacific Rim Conservation with Nina Karnovsky as Scientific Program Chair.  Both oral and poster sessions are planned, and before and after field trips will be held.

“As home to some of the greatest plant and animal biodiversity on the planet in addition to some of the world’s largest seabird colonies, Hawaii offers the perfect venue for PSG’s annual meeting and serves as a mid-point between our membership which spans the Pacific Rim and beyond.  In keeping with our locale this year, the meeting theme is “Seabirds: Responses and Resilience” and there will be a variety of technical sessions and symposia in keeping with this theme.”

Early registration and abstract submissions open on 21 August 2015.  Visit the meeting’s website for more information on important dates and other details.

The meeting venue is close to the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge where attempts are being made to create a new breeding colony of Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis (click here).

A Laysan Albatross eyes up three models in the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, photograph by Lindsay Young

Click here to access abstracts from the 2014 PSG annual meeting.

Meanwhile it has been reported that the (UK) Seabird Group will hold its 13th International Conference in September 2016; details will follow as they become available.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 August 2015

ACAP-listed and Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwaters Puffinus mauretanicus, along with other seabirds, are set to be counted from today by the Peniche Seabird Project as they fly past Cabo Carvoeiro on the tip of the peninsula at the Portuguese coastal city of Peniche north of Lisbon.  The project aims for a complete coverage of systematic counts until mid-November this year.

The Peniche Seabird Project’s website gives the scope of the project:

“The Peniche peninsula breaks off the Portuguese coast and functions as a migration obstacle for seabirds following the Iberian coast heading south to African waters in autumn.  The seabirds have to round the peninsula and are therefore easy to observe in the right wind conditions.  Off the peninsula lies the Berlengas Islands which hold internationally important numbers of breeding Cory’s Shearwaters [Calonectris borealis] and Madeiran Petrels [Madeiran Storm Petrel Oceanodroma castro].  The waters off these islands are deep and rich in nutrients and are an added attraction to feeding seabirds. Despite these possibilities, the migration past Peniche is poorly documented compared to European migration watchpoints further north.  The scope of this project is to document the numbers of seabirds migrating past Peniche during15th August – 15th November 2015.  Particular attention will be paid to the Critically Endangered Balearic Shearwater.  Seabirds will not just be counted, but flock sizes, flight directions and – where applicable – age categories will be quantified for later analysis.”

Balearic Shearwater at sea, photograph by Pep Arcos

The project is being managed by Helder Cardoso from Portugal and Erik Hirschfeld from Sweden, along with Johan Elmberg, also from Sweden, as scientific advisor (click here).

The project is looking for volunteers prepared to stay at least two weeks at Peniche to undertake “standardised counts of migrating birds from dawn until 10 am and from 3 pm to dusk each day, except for days with storms, when counting will have to take place for the full day.”  Transport to Peniche and free accommodation is on offer (click here).

ACAP Latest News aims to report on the project from time to time as information becomes available.

Across the water, Balearic Shearwaters are also the subject of a planned survey this month off the coast of southern England (click here).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 August 2015