ACAP Latest News

Read about recent developments and findings in procellariiform science and conservation relevant to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels in ACAP Latest News.

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US Presidential Award for Migratory Bird Stewardship given for management of Laysan Albatrosses on Kauai

Egg transfer Laysan Hob Osterlund 

Exchanging eggs on Kauai; photograph by Hob Osterlund

Activities directed at improving the conservation status of the Near Threatened Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis in the USA’s Hawaiian Islands have included working towards eradicating predatory House Mice on Midway Atoll, predator-proof fencing an existing breeding colony and attempting to create a new colony safe from predicted sea-level rise on Oahu and giving fertile eggs to female-female pairs to incubate and rear the ensuing chicks as their own on Kauai.  The conservation work with Kauai’s Laysan Albatrosses has now been recognized with an award, as described below.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) received this year’s Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award, in recognition of the Wildlife Services program’s efforts to conserve large native migratory birds and protect people in Hawaii.  APHIS Wildlife Services conducted a joint research-operational project with the goal of reducing human-wildlife conflicts associated with two bird species of cultural significance: the Hawaiian goose, or nēnē, and the Laysan albatross, or mōlī.  Because of their large size, both species pose a potential aircraft strike risk near airfields in some areas of Hawaii.  Wildlife Services research and operations personnel collaborated with numerous partners not only to reduce aircraft strike hazards presented by these species, but also to identify, preserve, enhance, and support important breeding and foraging habitats for the birds elsewhere on the island. The project employed innovative nonlethal management tools, such as canine teams for dispersing birds, mitigation translocation, and egg swaps, and conducted research to gauge the impact and effectiveness of these tools, which will guide future management strategies.

Laysan albatross, the Pacific region’s second-largest seabird, commonly return to the same site for breeding and nesting year after year.  Since the 1970s, nesting Laysan albatross have frequented a naval airfield on the island of Kauai, creating hazardous conditions for both birds and military aviators.  The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) began partnering in the 1980s with Wildlife Services to reduce wildlife hazards at the facility including the relocation of adult Laysan albatrosses.  Since 2009, Wildlife Services has collected more than 600 albatross eggs, transferring them to conservation partners with expertise in raising eggs to hatching and helping albatross chicks establish nesting colonies in more suitable habitats.  The partners hoped that the fledged albatross chicks eventually would return to the adopted nesting site. In 2018, the first albatross, which had hatched at an egg swap location, returned to its adopted site after three years traveling around the Pacific Ocean. Wildlife Services research efforts began in 2018 and use radio-tracking technologies to determine the most effective methods for reducing albatross presence on the PMRF and increasing aviation safety. Research findings provide evidence that mitigation translocation within island ecosystems can benefit both humans and birds.”

Among the many co-applicants named in the award nomination ae two NGOs, Kauai Albatross Network and Pacific Rim Conservation, that over the years, have continued to support ACAP in its efforts to increase awareness of the conservation needs of albatrosses, especially the Laysan. “Mahalo” to them both.

Click here to read the complete post.

John Cooper. ACAP Information Officer, 29 June 2021

A proposed framework for reporting seabird wrecks

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 Carcasses collected from a seabird wreck (click here)

Jacqueline Glencross (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia) and colleagues have published open access in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, proposing a framework for reporting mass mortalities of seabirds based on data from shearwaters Ardenna spp.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“There is an absence of quantitative criteria and definitions for unusual or anomalous mortality events involving birds, often referred to as “wrecks”. These events most commonly involve seabirds, although terrestrial bird wrecks have also been documented. Typically, the peer-reviewed literature investigating wreck events lacks the details necessary to further our understanding of the circumstances and potential causes of these events. This study reviewed the peer-reviewed literature for wrecks involving Ardenna seabirds (shearwaters), and included grey literature and data collected by citizen science (community) groups. Our results showed a significant time-lag between wreck events and when the data was published in the peer-reviewed literature, which did not occur in the grey literature. Both the grey and peer-reviewed literature were often skewed towards reporting larger wreck events, with only the citizen science dataset capturing smaller wrecks. We outline a proposed framework for reporting mortality events, including the use of quantitative categories to document the numbers of birds involved and taxon-specific thresholds. In doing so, we aim to establish a framework to aid in the quantitative reporting and analyses of future seabird wrecks.”

Reference:

Glencross, J.S., Lavers, J.L., Woehler, E.J. 2021.  Proposed framework for reporting mass mortality (wreck) events of seabirds.  ICES Journal of Marine Science doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsab046.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 28 June 2021

The first bait drop on Gough Island to eradicate its House Mice is completed

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End in sight? Andrea Angel holds a Tristan Albatross close to death after being attacked by mice on Gough Island, photograph by Ross Wanless

The latest news from the Gough Island Restoration Project (GIRP) reports good progress with the effort to rid the island of its predatory House Mice that attack and kill the chicks (and as recently reported, adults) of the near endemic and Critically Endangered Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena, as well of other seabirds that breed on the island.

The GIRP Facebook page says on 24 June “The first island-wide distribution of bait has been completed! This is an important milestone for the project, but we still have a long way to go, now fingers firmly crossed for good weather windows for the second application!”  With the commencement of bait dropping reported on 14 June, it seems it took only 10-11 days to drop bait over the whole of the 65-km2 island.  The eradication team with helicopters and bait arrived on the island aboard South Africa’s Antarctic research and supply ship, the S.A. Agulhas II on 3 June, with offloading competed and the ship departing for Cape Town on the 10th so it can be said things have been moving apace.  ACAP offers its best wishes for the second bait drop (which usually commence around two weeks after the first drop is completed) and hopes for an island free of mice, allowing recovery of the island ecosystem to commence.

A recent GIRP Facebook post informs that the main communication system on the island is currently down, so messages are not getting through at the moment.  “We want to pass on a message that everyone is safe and well and will be in contact as/when we manage to re-establish the lines.”  In this case, then a case of no (or little) news is good news.

Access the latest (No. 8, May 2021) and earlier editions of Island Restoration News, the GIRP newsletter here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 26 June 2021

The Twelfth Meeting of the ACAP Advisory Committee will be held virtually over August-September: new details available

Tristan Albatross family Tom McSherry Michelle Risi Di Roberts

A Tristan Albatross family, artwork by Di Roberts after photographs by Tom McSherry and Michelle Risi

As for nearly all international meetings affected by the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, the Twelfth Meeting of ACAP’s Advisory Committee (AC12) will be held virtually from 30/31 August to 1/2 September 2021 (depending on where you are in the world).  Meetings of the Seabird Bycatch Working Group, and the Population and Conservation Status Working Group will precede AC12: SBWG10 from 16/17 to 18/19 August, and PaCSWG6 from 23/24 to 24/25 August 2021.

Further information is now available in AC12 Circular 5 in the three official ACAP languages of English, French and Spanish,  The circular provides information om the timing and length of the meetings, the conference manager and platform chosen for the meeting, provides ad hoc meeting guidelines for approval by AC Members, and advance information about technical arrangements and the desirability of early registration.

Congress Rental has been chosen to manage the technical aspects of the meeting, which will use the Interprefy platform.  Interprefy enables “relay interpretation” (involving multiple languages – three in the case of ACAP).  Congress Rental will be responsible for providing technical advice to Chairs, Convenors, Secretariat, interpreters and other participants in advance of the meetings (including technical training on the use of the platform).  It will assist the ACAP Secretariat in the preparations for the meeting, and the technical training, if participants could register using the online form by 17 July.

ACAP Secretariat, 25 June 2021

The USA makes a further attempt to become a Party to the Albatross and Petrel Agreement

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Laysan Albatrosses on Midway Atoll; the USA supports 97% of the global population

US Congressmen Alan Lowenthal (Democrat, California) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Republican, Pennsylvania) have once more introduced a bipartisan bill to the House of Representatives  - this time on 22 June just three days after World Albatross Day - to enable the United States to become a Party to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.

The full press release from the office of Congressman Alan Lowenthal follows:

“Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), today, joined by 20 House colleagues, introduced legislation to protect imperiled seabirds from international fishing threats while increasing ongoing seabird conservation efforts in the United States and abroad.

The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act would implement the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), an international conservation agreement that has been signed by 13 member countries since 2001 and covers 31 species of albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters. Despite previous calls by President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama to ratify the agreement, the Senate has yet to vote on the agreement.

“This is a critical opportunity for the United States to resume its leadership role in international conservation efforts,” Congressman Lowenthal said. “It is vital that we implement the ACAP to encourage other nations to adopt strong conservation standards and also in order to take steps to ensure that foreign fishing vessels follow international conservation measures that protect endangered seabirds.”

Many albatross and petrel species are listed among the most threatened seabirds in the world because of habitat loss and fisheries bycatch (unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species), but the U.S. has been a leader in reducing fisheries bycatch.

“Serving as good stewards of our environment and working to ensure endangered species can be protected and repopulated is something each of us are called to regardless of location, background or political ideology,” Congressman Fitzpatrick said. “This bill will help reduce habitat destruction, minimize marine debris, and slow the spread of invasive species. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in support of this bipartisan legislation and urge others to join us in the defense of endangered species.”

The Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act ties together existing U.S. laws and statutes without substantially changing current laws in order to implement the international agreement.

The legislation would also authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to implement fisheries conservation measures, increase international fisheries enforcement, restore habitat, reduce non-native species, develop educational programs, and cooperate internationally on conservation efforts.”

Congressman Lowenthal has made two previous attempts in 2016 and 2019 during earlier administrations to have an Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act passed (click here).

 Read the full text of the 2021 bill to enable the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Act.

Read earlier and current reporting by the National Audubon Society on the efforts by the USA to become a Party to ACAP.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 24 June 2021

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

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Email: secretariat@acap.aq
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