Photographs clockwise from top left; John, Working Group meetings, Hermanus, South Africa, 2008; John, at home in South Africa, 2022; photograph by Ruth Cooper

Wishing John Cooper the very best on his retirement: photos of John over the years and quotes from those who have had the pleasure of working with him (photographer unknown unless acknowledged)

With over 20 years of involvement with ACAP, contemplating retirement from an organisation in which he played a key role in its genesis has not been easy for John Cooper. John’s long-term involvement with ACAP has seen him hold a number of roles over the years: he played an instrumental part in ACAP’s formation, he was Vice Chair of the ACAP Advisory Committee from 2005 - 2007, and has, for the last 17 years been ACAP’s honorary Information Officer. As honorary Information Officer, John has kept followers of ACAP’s website and Facebook page up to date with the latest research articles, newly released books, artworks or poems. From the serious to the quirky, John has the knack for finding all albatross and petrel related news.

John has been a crucial figure in both creating and communicating key ACAP initiatives including, the ACAP species summaries and breeding sites series, infographics and photo essays, starting and managing the ACAP Facebook page to its now 6000 plus followers, and writing thousands of posts for ACAP’s latest news on the website. His most recent feat has been the initiation and development of World Albatross Day. This celebratory day, marked annually on 19 June, is a chance to shine a spotlight on albatrosses and grow awareness of the threats and uncertain future they face as a species, as well as the solutions available to reduce risks to these birds. World Albatross Day has been embraced by a global community who have a shared passion for this magnificent bird. John should be truly proud of all he has achieved in his efforts to improve the conservation status of the world’s albatrosses and petrels.

Photographs clockwise from bottom left: John (left) and ACAP TWG Convenor and former Advisory Committee Chair and Vice-chair, Mark Tasker at AC2, Brasilia, Brazil, 2006; ACAP AC Vice-chair Tatiana Neves (left), John (centre) and PaCSWG Co-convenor, Patricia Serafini (right) at AC11, Florianopolis, Brazil, 2019.

Upon hearing of John’s retirement, tributes flowed in from those that have worked with him over the course of his career. What is immediately apparent is how recognised he is for his boundless energy, his deep affection for seabirds, and his unfaltering commitment to the conservation of their populations across the globe. And that is certainly a feeling echoed by ACAP, “John is a wonderful colleague and friend. His dedication to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels is an example to us all. It has been an absolute privilege to work with him over the past three and a half years." Dr Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary.

Photographs clockwise from bottom left: John holding his ACAP retirement gift (sponsorship of three hectares towards the eradication of Marion Island’s invasive mice population); photograph by Ruth Cooper; John, AC10, Wellington, New Zeland, 2017; John (2nd from left) with the South African delegation, MoP1, Hobart, Australia, 2004

John has opted for a slow release into retirement, meaning we will have time to ease into the new arrangement here at ACAP. He has taken World Albatross Day coordination under his wing and will continue to promote this growing event for the foreseeable future. Happily for ACAP he has also agreed to contribute monthly guest posts to be featured across ACAP’s social media pages and the website, and will still be writing occasional news posts under his new moniker, News Correspondent. And so with heartfelt thanks for your dedication, enthusiasm and energy, ACAP wishes you the very best John. You will be missed by all here at ACAP – even in the guise of a ‘soft retirement’. Enjoy!

Posted 9 August, 2022

A most fitting retirement gift: ACAP has sponsored three hectares towards the eradication of Marion Island’s albatross-killing mice in my name; photograph by Ruth Cooper

“A soft release is a means by which an animal is gradually introduced or familiarized to a new environment before its eventual release in that location.  This is a slow, gradual process that allows the animal to return to a safe resting place until it is ready to be completely independent.”

The ACAP Information Officer is retiring this week!  After 17 enjoyable years of drafting and posting over 4000 searchable stories to ACAP Latest News it is time for me to take a break and have a little more time to entertain my granddaughter and to ride my bike.  ACAP’s recently contracted Communications Advisor, Bree Forrer will be taking the lead in posting to ALN from now on.  Moving into my “soft retirement”, I will pass on news I come across to Bree for possible featuring.  Additionally, at least for the rest of the year, you will still be seeing my byline in ALN as a “News Correspondent”, so that between the two of us we can endeavour to keep up the accustomed steady flow of news.

I retired from my near 40-year university career as a marine ornithologist over 15 years ago. Since then, and for a few years before, I have been privileged to have been able to work with a fine community of people who I have met while attending meetings of the ACAP Advisory Committee and its working groups, as well as most of the Sessions of the Meeting of the Parties held to date.  More particularly, I have been lucky to have had the unstinting support and friendship of three Executive Secretaries, ACAP’s long-standing Science Officer, and all the Agreement’s Chief Officers, many of whom have become personal friends.

During my years with ACAP, we have managed to start (and is some cases complete) a number of initiatives that I think serve the Agreement well in working towards its primary goal of improving the conservation status of the world’s albatrosses and petrels.  In no particular order these include the series on breeding sites, species summaries, photo essays and infographics; most of which have been produced in the three ACAP languages of English, French and Spanish.  Early on, we started a Facebook page which has steadily grown to 6100 followers; now complemented by ACAP’s Instagram account, commenced last month by Bree Forrer.

Most significantly, perhaps, in 2020 ACAP initiated a World Albatross Day, to be marked annually on 19 June.  Despite one or two doubters, is seems that the celebration has taken off, with broad support now appearing for it from round the world.  Planning is currently underway for “WAD2023”, the fourth World Albatross Day that ACAP will lead.  A special pleasure for me has been the ongoing collaboration with Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature that has resulted in an amazing 500 artworks depicting all 31 ACAP-listed species being made available for ACAP to use.  I will continue to work with ACAP on next year’s World Albatross Day (two new competitions are planned, so watch this space).  Following sponsorships already obtained, I will be helping to produce seven more ACAP Species Infographics over the next 12 months in support of the annual day.  I will be starting with an infographic for the Light-mantled Albatross, to be sponsored by BirdLife South Africa on behalf of the Mouse-Free Marion Project.

I am honoured to have been asked by the ACAP Secretariat to write a monthly series of guest posts for ACAP Latest News as its “Emeritus ACAP Information Officer”.  These should commence in a month or so.  Allowing me a more personal style of writing, look for my view on why the Mediterranean’s Yelkouan Shearwater should be ACAP listed (and what that might mean for the Agreement), my personal musings on ACAP’s development and progress over the years (with stories behind the stories), the odd book review, and maybe even an albatross haiku or two!

“Tell me a story”.  I chat with a non-breeding Wandering Albatross that approached me on the path near Kaalkoppie, Marion Island in May 2012; artwork by Steve Erwin of Stencilworx, after a photograph by Wouter Hanekom

So, it is not quite “So long, and thanks for all the albatrosses” - I will be around for a little while longer!

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 08 August 2022

A Northern Giant Petrel chick taking no notice of the drone 5 m above its head.  The silvery grey colour of the chick’s down, plus the characteristically large cleared area the chick has created round its nest mound makes nests easy to spot from the air (from the report)

In a final report to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation via its Conservation Services Programme (CSP), Graeme Elliot and Kath Walker (Albatross Research) describe the use of both foot searches and a drone to count the numbers of Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli chicks on Antipodes Island over two breeding seasons.  “The drone was usually flown high and fast towards suitable habitat, then it was dropped to about 20-30 m above the ground for slower scouting for nesting giant petrels. When a nest was spotted, the drone descended lower and a photo was taken of the nest from directly above it, which automatically recorded that nest’s grid reference.”

The report’s abstract follows:

“The number[s] of northern giant petrel chicks on Antipodes Island were counted just before they fledged during the summers of 2020-21 and 2021-22.  Counts were made on foot and through use of a drone.  The number of chicks in the two years was similar (194, 188) and using nesting success measures from Macquarie Island, estimates of the number of breeding pairs of 304 and 295 were made.  The number of northern giant petrels nesting on the island seems to have decreased and then increased since 1969 when they were first counted and this may be due to declines in the number of eastern rockhopper and erect-crested penguins nesting on the island, and an increase in the abundance of New Zealand fur seals.”

Reference:

Elliot, G. & Walker, K. 2022.  Numbers of Northern Giant Petrel breeding on Antipodes Island in 2021 and 2022.  Nelson: Albatross Research.  15 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 05 August 2022

An Antipodean Albatross in flight. Photograph by Hannah Shand/Jordan

Kath Walker and Graeme Elliot (Albatross Research) have prepared a report, Antipodean wandering albatross satellite tracking and population study on Antipodes Island in 2021 and 2022, which has been made available by New Zealand’s Conservation Services Programme.

Results of the study indicate a number of factors involved in the population decline of Antipodean Albatrosses but emphasise female mortality as a key contributor, with interactions with pelagic surface long-line fisheries being the cause of death for a significant number of young females. The report also highlights the availability of numerous seabird bycatch mitigation measures which, if implemented by fisheries, would have a positive impact on population recovery.

Building on long-term population monitoring which has taken place regularly since 1994, the data gathered from the four-year satellite tracking and population study (2019 – 2022) have updated knowledge of the at-sea distribution of the Antipodean Albatross, as well as providing information on their biology.

The report's summary follows:

“The Antipodean wandering albatross Diomedea antipodensis antipodensis has been in decline since 2005. The decline appears to be driven in large part by high female mortality, though reduced breeding success and increased recruitment age have exacerbated the problem. Research into the causes of and solutions to the falling numbers of Antipodean wandering albatrosses includes an annual visit to the breeding grounds on Antipodes Island, and this report describes the results of the field programme in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 breeding seasons.

In total 93 pairs nested in the study area in 2021 and 90 pairs in 2022. The number nesting in 2022 across the whole island was estimated to be 2,927 pairs, the second lowest ever recorded. Measurement of female survivorship in 2020–2022 was detrimentally affected by the very late timing of fieldwork in March 2020, artificially exacerbating existing high interannual variation in female survivorship. While the population has been approximately stable for the last three years, there is no sign of recovery.

Most of the 40 courting and breeding albatrosses to which satellite transmitters were attached in March 2020 (Elliott & Walker 2020) survived the year, but one male breeder W-659 appeared to be killed on a Chinese long-line. Breeding birds and birds which had expected to breed but didn’t were found to retain their transmitters significantly longer in 2020 than non-breeders, presumably because feather moult is postponed whilst birds breed. While most of these transmitters were eventually lost at sea, one solar powered and two battery-powered transmitters were recovered from birds when they returned to Antipodes Island in January 2021.

In January 2021 a further 66 satellite transmitters were deployed, 36 on adults and 30 on chicks about to fledge. While most adults survived the year, the transmitters of three juveniles stopped close to pelagic long line vessels and may have been caught. In June 2021 another tagged juvenile, W-20k, was confirmed caught by a Taiwanese long-liner when its bands, along with the metal band of an adult female Antipodean wandering albatross O-805, not wearing a satellite tag, were recovered from the vessel. Given only a small proportion of the Antipodean wandering albatross population are banded (2.7%), to have caught two banded birds suggests many more birds without bands will also have been caught. Given the number of satellite transmitters deployed in 2019–2022 (220) and the number of days from which locations were received from the birds (38,812) the estimated reported fisheries related mortality of satellite-tagged birds is about 2% per annum. However, capture of satellite-tagged birds is likely considerably higher than 2% as the two captures that were documented came not from fishing operators voluntarily reporting bycatch, but from detection of an interaction from the combination of tracking data and Global Fishing Watch. It is likely that additional tagged birds whose transmitters stopped close to fishing vessels were also caught but their capture was not reported.

In January 2022, 50 satellite transmitters of two types were deployed on adult Antipodean wandering albatrosses. Soon after deployment data stopped being received from the 10 “Icarus” transmitters because of a failed data-agreement with Russia. The remaining 40 (30 on adults, 10 on juveniles) were of the second type of which 26 were still transmitting at the end of July 2022.”

Reference:

Walker, K. & Elliot, G. 2022. Antipodean wandering albatross satellite tracking and population study on Antipodes Island in 2021 and 2022. Nelson: Albatross Research  28 pp.

Posted 04 August 2022