Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna CIRCUMPOLAR SEABIRD EXPERT GROUP Eighth Meeting Progress Report April 2002 CAFF, Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group - Progress Report VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS I. List of Tables ............................................................................................................................3 II. Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................4 III. Status of Circumpolar Seabird Research, Management, and Conservation ...........................5 IV. Circumpolar Seabird Work Plan ...........................................................................................11 A. Action Item 1: Conservation of Migratory Birds Outside the Arctic ................................11 B. Action Item 2: Seabird Bycatch in Commercial Fisheries in the Arctic ............................15 C. Action Item 3: Seabird Harvest in the Arctic.....................................................................26 D. Action Item 4: International Eider Conservation Strategy ................................................27 1. Country Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy ................. 28 E. Action Item 5: International Murre Conservation Strategy ...............................................50 1. Country Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy ................ 51 2. Murre Banding Plan ...................................................................................................... 70 3. Circumpolar Murre Monitoring Plan ............................................................................ 70 4. Murre Ringing Database ............................................................................................... 71 5. Circumpolar Murre Colony Database ........................................................................... 71 6. Circumpolar Murre Poster ............................................................................................ 71 7. Murre/Climate Change Paper ....................................................................................... 72 F. Action Item 6: Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Network................................................72 G. Action Item 7: Circumpolar Seabird Bulletin ....................................................................73 H. Action Item 8: Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group, Charter .............................................73 I. Action Item 9: Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Network, Charter..................................73 V. Summary of Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group Work Plan Recommendations: 2002-04 ..74 J. Action Item 10. Next Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group ................................................76 VI. APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................76 A. Meeting Agenda .................................................................................................................76 B. CAFF/Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group Work Plan, 2000-2002 ..................................79 C. Revised Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group Charter ........................................................80 D. Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Network Draft Charter .................................................82 E. List of Participants, CBIRD VIII, February 2002..............................................................85 2 CAFF, Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group – Eighth Meeting Progress Report I. List of Tables Table 1. CAFF recommendations and status of countries implementation regarding conservation of migratory Arctic breeding birds outside the Arctic. ......................................................... 13 Table 2. Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group Seabird Bycatch Programs. .................................. 22 Table 3. Implementation of Recommendations to Reduce Bycatch in Fisheries. Management Issue: CAFF Technical Report No. 1 and No. 7 ................................................................... 23 Table 4. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, Iceland 2001. ........ 28 Table 5. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, Greenland 2001. ... 31 Table 6. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, Canada 2001. ........ 36 Table 7. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, U.S. - Alaska 2001.40 Table 8. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, Finland 2001. ........ 46 Table 9. Implementation of the International Eider Conservation Strategy, Norway 2001. ...... 49 Table 10. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Iceland 2000 and 2001....................................................................................................................................... 52 Table 11. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Greenland 2000 and 2001. ............................................................................................................................... 55 Table 12. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Canada 2000 and 2001....................................................................................................................................... 58 Table 13. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, U.S. - Alaska 2000 and 2001. ............................................................................................................................... 61 Table 14. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Russian Far East 2000 and 2001. ...................................................................................................................... 63 Table 15. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Finland 2000 and 2001....................................................................................................................................... 65 Table 16. Implementation of the International Murre Conservation Strategy, Norway 2000 and 2001....................................................................................................................................... 69 3 CAFF, Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group - Progress Report VIII II. Executive Summary Like much of the work of CAFF, the Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group (CBIRD) was created in recognition that Arctic countries have many seabird species in common and often share the same populations, and therefore share a joint and equal responsibility for their conservation. Arctic countries also share common population and habitat threats in marine and coastal ecosystems that seabirds depend on for their survival. The creation of CBIRD was also in recognition that conservation, management, and research activities for seabirds could most effectively be achieved by a multilateral approach of all circumpolar range states. It was in this simple context that CBIRD was approved in 1993, and has since acted as a forum to promote and facilitate the communication, coordination and collaboration of seabird activities in the Arctic. Since 1994, CBIRD has conducted eight meetings and has been instrumental in addressing and raising the visibility of priority seabird conservation issues. It has published two Conservation Action Plans (Murres and Eiders), four CAFF Technical Reports, two editions of the popular Circumpolar Seabird Bulletin, three posters, seven Progress Reports, and participated in numerous meetings and workshops. CBIRD conducted its eighth meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on January 14-18, 2002. The meeting was attended by 30 seabird specialists and managers representing seven of the eight Arctic countries. CBIRD primarily focused its attention on the following issues: Circumpolar Murre and Eider Conservation Strategies, Conservation of Migratory Birds Outside the Arctic, Seabird Bycatch in Commercial Fisheries, Harvest of Seabirds in the Arctic, and Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Network. The next meeting of CBIRD will be in Norway in October 2002. 4 CAFF, Circumpolar Seabird Expert Group – Eighth Meeting Progress Report III. Status of Circumpolar Seabird Research, Management, and Conservation Iceland Seabird initiatives in 2001 Aevar Petersen gave a short overview of seabird initiatives in Iceland. New seabird surveys were conducted in areas previously un-surveyed (NE and E-Iceland). Analyses of banding returns have been underway for Shag and Cormorant. Pilot satellite tracking study of Parasitic Jaeger was executed. The Breidafjordur conservation area was established in 1995. A conservation plan for this marine conservation area of about 3000 km² was endorsed by the Minister of the Environment, the first of its kind for a protected area in Iceland. The development of the Nature Conservation Plan is underway. This framework document for future nature conservation activities includes, among others, listing of seabird colonies, which are included on the Important Bird Areas list for Iceland. The Snaefellsnes National Park was established in W-Iceland and this includes important several seabird cliffs. Status of CAFF activities Aevar Petersen gave an overview of most recent CAFF and Arctic Council activities. The 10th anniversary of the Arctic Environment Protection Strategy (AEPS), forerunner of the Arctic Council (AC) as celebrated in Rovaniemi, Finland, in June 2001. CAFF represented its overview book Arctic Flora