The effects of oiling and rehabilitation on the breeding productivity and annual moult and breeding cycles of African penguins

Includes bibliographical references

ACAP advice for reducing the impact of pelagic longline fishing operations on seabirds

The incidental mortality of seabirds, mostly albatrosses and petrels, in longline fisheries continues to be aserious global concern and was the major reason for the establishment of the Agreement on theConservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). In longline fisheries seabirds are killed when theybecome hooked and drowned while foraging for baits on longline hooks as the gear is deployed. Theyalso can become hooked as the gear is hauled, although many of these seabirds can be released alive withcareful handling. ACAP routinely reviews the scientific literature regarding seabird bycatch mitigation infisheries, and on the basis of these reviews updates its best practice advice. The most recent review wasconducted in May 2016 at ACAP´s Seabird Bycatch Working Group and Advisory Committee meetings(ACAP 2016), and this document presents a distillation of that review for the consideration of theWCPFC Scientific Committee. A combination of weighted branch lines, bird scaring lines and nightsetting remains the best practice approach to mitigate seabird bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries.Changes in this regard only applied to the recommended minimum standards for line weighting regimes,now updated to the following configurations: (a) 40 g or greater attached within 0.5 m of the hook; or (b)60 g or greater attached within 1 m of the hook; or (c) 80 g or greater attached within 2 m of the hook. Inaddition, ACAP endorsed the inclusion in the list of best practice measures of two hook-shielding devicesas stand-alone mitigation measures. Such hook-shielding devices encase the point and barb of baitedhooks until a prescribed depth or time immersed to prevent seabird becoming hooked during line setting.The following performance requirements were used by ACAP to assess the efficacy of hook-shieldingdevices in reducing seabird bycatch: (a) the device shields the hook until a prescribed depth of 10 m orimmersion time of 10 minutes is reached; (b) the device meets current recommended minimum standardsfor branch line weighting; and (c) experimental research has been undertaken to allow assessment of theeffectiveness, efficiency and practicality of the technology against the ACAP best practice seabird bycatchmitigation criteria. ACAP recognizes that factors such as safety, practicality and the characteristics of thefishery should also be taken into account when considering the efficacy of seabird bycatch mitigationmeasures and consequently in the development of advice and guidelines on best practice.Fil: Favero, Marco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Wolfaardt, Anton. No especifíca;Fil: Walker, Nathan. No especifíca;12th Regular Session of the Scientific CommitteePohnpeiMicronesiaWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commissio

Population trends of Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis Papua breeding at the Falkland Islands

The fourth archipelago-wide census of Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua breeding at the Falkland Islands was conducted from 24 October to 8 December 2010. The number of Gentoo Penguins breeding in 2010 was estimated to be 132 321 ± 2 015, the highest number of breeding pairs recorded for this species at the Falkland Islands since the first survey in 1933. The global population of Gentoo Penguins is conservatively estimated to be about 384 000 breeding pairs, of which the Falkland Islands accounts for 34%, probably the largest component of the global population. Annually monitored study colonies accounted for 20% of the total number of Gentoo Penguin breeding pairs at the Falkland Islands in 2010 and proved to be a reliable proxy for archipelago-wide changes in the number of breeding pairs. Recent trends at annually monitored study colonies, combined with archipelago-wide trends, indicate that the number of Gentoo Penguins breeding at the Falkland Islands has increased between 2005 to 2010. However, annual monitoring data also revealed large inter-annual variability in the number of breeding pairs, which makes assessing systematic population changes challenging

The development of ACAP seabird bycatch indicators, data needs, methodological approaches and reporting requirements

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) is a multilateral environmentalagreement that seeks to achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status for albatrosses andpetrels. The Agreement is currently ratified by 13 countries. In addition, a number of non-Party RangeStates and international organisations actively participate in the work of the Agreement. The Agreementprovides a framework for coordinating and undertaking international activity to mitigate known threatsto populations of affected species, including fisheries bycatch. In order to monitor and report on theperformance of the Agreement, a system of indicators following the Pressure-State-Responseframework is being developed and implemented by ACAP. The primary Pressure indicator for bycatchcomprises two linked components: (i) the seabird bycatch rate across each of the fisheries of memberParties, and (ii) the total number of birds killed (bycaught) per year of ACAP species (per species wherepossible). The Seabird Bycatch Working Group of ACAP is currently undertaking work to developguidelines on issues that need to be considered in estimating and reporting against these bycatchindicators and, considering the estimation methods currently in use, to propose guidance andrecommendations to achieve consistent reporting. This paper provides an outline of therecommendations and guidelines that have been developed to date. It is important to note that thisrepresents work in progress, and is presented here to help inform discussions regarding seabird bycatchestimation and reporting within the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) andother RFMOs.Fil: Wolfaardt, Anton. Agreement On The Conservation Of Albatrosses & Petrels; AustraliaFil: Debski, Igor. Agreement On The Conservation Of Albatrosses & Petrels; AustraliaFil: Misiak, Wieslawa. No especifíca;Fil: Walker, Nathan. Agreement On The Conservation Of Albatrosses & Petrels; AustraliaFil: Favero, Marco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina14th Regular Session of the Scientific CommitteePohnpeiMicronesiaWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commissio

The distribution, abundance, status and global importance of giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus and M. halli) breeding at South Georgia

Information on the status of giant petrels breeding at South Georgia was previously based on studies at a small number of the archipelago's breeding sites. Here, we report the results of the first complete archipelago-wide survey of breeding northern Macronectes halli and southern M. giganteus giant petrels in the austral summers 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. We estimate that 15,398 pairs of northern and 8803 pairs of southern giant petrels bred at South Georgia. These are the largest and second largest populations at any island group, representing 71.0% and 17.3%, respectively, of updated global estimates of 21,682 pairs of northern and 50,819 pairs of southern giant petrels. A comparison of counts at locations surveyed in both 1986/1987–1987/1988 and 2005/2006–2006/2007 indicated increases of 74% and 27% in northern and southern giant petrels, respectively, over the intervening 18–20 years. The greater increase in northern giant petrels was likely influenced by the recovery of the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella population at South Georgia, which provides an abundant but transient food resource (carrion). Due to allochrony, this provides greater benefits to northern giant petrels. The large, and increasing, population of king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus at South Georgia also provides a potentially valuable food resource. The flexible and opportunistic foraging behaviour of giant petrels has contributed to their positive population trends. Other, more specialised, seabirds such as albatrosses have declined at South Georgia in recent decades mainly because of problems at sea, compounded by greater predation pressure from the increasing populations of giant petrels

Recent trends in numbers of wandering (Diomedea exulans), black-browed (Thalassarche melanophris) and grey-headed (T. chrysostoma) albatrosses breeding at South Georgia

South Georgia supports globally important populations of seabirds, including the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and grey-headed albatross T. chrysostoma, currently classified by the world Conservation Union (IUCN) as vulnerable, near threatened and endangered, respectively. Surveys of these species at South Georgia were conducted during the incubation stage in November 2014 to January 2015, repeating previous surveys conducted in the 2003/2004 season. Numbers of wandering albatrosses breeding annually at South Georgia decreased by 18% (1.8% per year) from 1553 pairs in 2003/2004 to an estimated 1278 pairs in 2014/2015. Over the same period, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses decreased by 19% (1.9% per year) and 43% (5% per year), respectively. These represent a continuation of negative trends at South Georgia since the 1970s and are in contrast to some populations elsewhere, which have shown signs of recent recovery. Given the importance of South Georgia for these species, the ongoing population declines, and in the case of grey-headed albatrosses, an acceleration of the decline is of major conservation concern. Incidental fisheries mortality (bycatch) is currently considered to be the main threat. Although seabird bycatch has been reduced to negligible levels in the fisheries operating around South Georgia, wider implementation of effective seabird bycatch mitigation measures is required to improve the conservation status of the South Georgia populations of wandering, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses. In addition, more research is required to investigate the respective roles of bycatch and climate change in driving these population trends

Phenological Changes in the Southern Hemisphere

Current evidence of phenological responses to recent climate change is substantially biased towards northern hemisphere temperate regions. Given regional differences in climate change, shifts in phenology will not be uniform across the globe, and conclusions drawn from temperate systems in the northern hemisphere might not be applicable to other regions on the planet. We conduct the largest meta-analysis to date of phenological drivers and trends among southern hemisphere species, assessing 1208 long-term datasets from 89 studies on 347 species. Data were mostly from Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), South America and the Antarctic/subantarctic, and focused primarily on plants and birds. This meta-analysis shows an advance in the timing of spring events (with a strong Australian data bias), although substantial differences in trends were apparent among taxonomic groups and regions. When only statistically significant trends were considered, 82% of terrestrial datasets and 42% of marine datasets demonstrated an advance in phenology. Temperature was most frequently identified as the primary driver of phenological changes; however, in many studies it was the only climate variable considered. When precipitation was examined, it often played a key role but, in contrast with temperature, the direction of phenological shifts in response to precipitation variation was difficult to predict a priori. We discuss how phenological information can inform the adaptive capacity of species, their resilience, and constraints on autonomous adaptation. We also highlight serious weaknesses in past and current data collection and analyses at large regional scales (with very few studies in the tropics or from Africa) and dramatic taxonomic biases. If accurate predictions regarding the general effects of climate change on the biology of organisms are to be made, data collection policies focussing on targeting data-deficient regions and taxa need to be financially and logistically supported. Copyright: 2013 Chambers et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Return to Robben Island of African Penguins that were rehabilitated, relocated or reared in captivity following the Treasure oil spill of 2000

Following an oil spill from the Treasure off the coast of South Africa in June 2000, about 19 000 oiled African Penguins Spheniscus demersus, including 14 825 from Robben Island, were caught for rehabilitation and subsequent release. A further 19 500 penguins that were not oiled — mostly birds in adult plumage, including 7 000 from Robben Island — were relocated some 700km to the east, to prevent them becoming oiled. Additionally, 3 350 orphaned chicks, including 2 643 from Robben Island — were collected for rearing in captivity and release to the wild. Some four years later — by the end of December 2004 — 70% of rehabilitated adults, 40% of relocated birds and 34% of captive-reared chicks had been seen back at Robben Island. Another 7% of birds relocated from Robben Island had been sighted at other localities. Rates of resighting rehabilitated birds were similar at Robben and Dassen Islands, but a greater proportion of relocated birds was seen at Dassen Island, where birds collected for relocation were mostly from breeding areas. The lower proportion of relocated birds seen at Robben Island is thought to result from this intervention causing some pre-breeding birds to move to other colonies. All three conservation interventions are considered to have been successful, but it is premature to assess their relative contributions to the conservation of the species. Three relocated birds tracked by satellite took 15–21 days to return to their home colonies. This rapid return may have resulted from breeding attempts being interrupted. After remaining at their home islands for 4–5 days, two of the tracked birds then left these islands for 19–36 days. We surmise that, after they had searched unsuccessfully for their mates, they abandoned breeding for the year 2000. Ostrich 2006, 77(3&4): 202–20

Identification of Regions in the IOTC Convention Area to Inform the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management

WPEB14 recommended to convene a workshop in 2019 to provide advice on the identification of draft ecoregions to foster discussions on the operationalization of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) convention area. This workshop entitled “Identification of regions in the IOTC convention area to inform the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management” took place the 30th, 31st of August and 1st of September 2019 in La Reunion Island. The workshop gathered 17 participants with a wide range of expertise in IOTC species and fisheries and oceanography of the Indian Ocean. Prior to the workshop, a consultant was hired to prepare a baseline draft proposal of ecoregions to be presented and discussed at the workshop by all the participants. The workshop was structured into seven sessions. In the first session, the experience of developing and using ecoregions in NAFO, ICES, CCAMLR and the NPFMC in the USA were presented to the Group. The Group discussed the potential benefits and uses of ecoregions in the context of these organizations and in the context of IOTC species and fisheries. In the second session, an overview of the current existing biogeographic classifications in the Indian Ocean, which are often used to inform the delineation of ecoregion boundaries, were presented to the Group, and their relevance in the context of IOTC species and its fisheries were discussed. In the third session, a check list of evaluation criteria was presented to the Group in order to inform discussions of what factors and considerations could be used for the development of the draft ecoregions. The Group agreed that ecological factors including (i) major oceanographic patterns, (ii) main distribution of IOTC species (tunas, billfishes, neritics), in combination with (iii) the spatial distribution of IOTC fisheries (coastal and industrial fisheries) should be the primary factors to be considered in the development of initial draft ecoregions. Other considerations such as geopolitical factors were also discussed, but not considered primary factors. In the fourth session, existing data sets were revised, presented and discussed in terms of availability, quality and completeness to guide the choice of key data inputs for deriving the draft ecoregions. The data sets included (i) existing biogeographic classifications, (ii) spatial distribution and catches of IOTC species (oceanic tunas, neritics, sharks, other bycatch species), (iii) spatial distributions of IOTC fisheries (baitboats, longlines, gillnets, purse seines, etc.) and (iv) “other” potentially relevant data layers. A selection of “good” quality data sets was used as inputs in the quantitative spatial analysis to develop the baseline draft ecoregions to be discussed by the group. In the fifth session, several quantitative spatial analyses were presented and discussed by the Group. These included several spatial overlap analyses, calculations of fidelity and sensitivity indicators to examine species and fisheries composition across multiple biogeographic provinces, and clustering analyses to group biogeographic provinces according to their similarity in terms of species composition, fisheries composition and both species and fishery composition. The Group provided feedback on the technical aspects and methods used in the derivation of the baseline ecoregions. In the sixth session, three baseline ecoregions were presented and discussed by the Group. The first ecoregion classification was based on similarities of the spatial patterns in species composition, the second on the spatial patterns of fisheries, and the third on the spatial patterns of both species and fisheries. In the seventh session, the three baseline ecoregion classifications in combination with expert knowledge were used to derive draft ecoregions within the IOTC convention area, and the Group discussed conclusions and future steps. The draft ecoregions are not intended to be used for management purposes. At this stage, the benefits and potential uses (e.g. development of ecosystem report cards, ecosystem status overviews, etc.) of the draft ecoregions should be tested as a tool to facilitate the operationalization of the EAFM in IOTC. The Group requested that the WPEB reviews and comments on the delineation of the draft ecoregions and provides ongoing feedback. The Group also requested that the WPEB communicates with the rest of the WPs to solicit feedback on the draft ecoregions. The Group recommended that the WPEB endorses the draft ecoregions for further development as a tool to progress EAFM implementation (e.g. ecosystem report card, ecosystem overviews, fisheries overviews)