AC3 Inf 16 Agenda Item No. 11 &12 Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels Third Meeting of Advisory Committee Valdivia, Chile, 19 – 22 June 2007 ________________________________________________________________ Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Conservation Priorities Author: UK AC3 Inf 16 Agenda Item No. 11 &12 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Conservation Priorities Proceedings of an International Meeting for UK Overseas Territories Falkland Islands 12 - 16 March 2006 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Conservation Priorities Proceedings of an International Meeting for UK Overseas Territories Falkland Islands 12 – 16 March 2006 © 2006 Falklands Conservation Cover photograph: Mick Hattersley ISBN - 13 978 0 95383 717 5 ISBN - 10 0 95383 717 5 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Priorities and Conservation For further information please contact: Falklands Conservation Jetty Visitor Centre Stanley Falkland Islands Tel: (500) 22247 Email: [email protected] This report should be cited as: Falklands Conservation 2006 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Conservation Priorities 2 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Priorities and Conservation Contents: 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................5 1.1 Aims of the meeting.............................................................................................................5 1.2 Meeting structure and process..............................................................................................5 2. WORKSHOP REPORT ...................................................................................................7 2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................7 2.2 Breeding sites.......................................................................................................................8 2.2.1 Recommendations...............................................................................................................9 2.3 Status and trends of populations ........................................................................................12 2.3.1 Recommendations.............................................................................................................12 2.4 Foraging range and areas ...................................................................................................15 2.4.1 Recommendations.............................................................................................................15 2.5 Fishery-related Issues.........................................................................................................17 2.5.1 Regional Fishery Management Organisations (RFMOs)..................................................18 2.5.2 Development and implementation of by-catch mitigation................................................19 2.5.3 Market-driven forces.........................................................................................................20 2.5.4 FAO National Plan of Action – Seabirds (NPOA-S)........................................................20 2.6 Education and awareness ...................................................................................................22 2.6.1 Education of fishers, fisheries managers, compliance officers, observers........................23 2.6.2 Recommendations.............................................................................................................24 2.7 Data acquisition, management, transmission and dissemination.......................................25 2.7.1 Initial recommended actions for the UK overseas territories ...........................................26 2.8 Implementation and resource issues for UK overseas territories.......................................27 2.8.1 Recommendations.............................................................................................................27 2.8.2 Future meetings.................................................................................................................29 3. APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................30 3.1 Detailed programme for monitoring status and trends of ACAP species..........................30 3.1.1 South Georgia............................................................................................................30 3.1.2 Falkland Islands.........................................................................................................31 3.1.3 Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island...........................................................................31 3.1.4 British Antarctic Territory .........................................................................................32 3.2 Essential elements for NPOA-Seabirds: Best practice guidelines...........................................33 3.3 Operation Ocean Task Force....................................................................................................44 3.4 Summary and costs for recent and current ACAP-related projects .........................................48 4. ANNEXES .....................................................................................................................54 4.1 Contact details..........................................................................................................................54 4.1.1 List of contact addresses for workshop attendees.............................................................54 4.1.2 List of contact addresses for invited delegates, who were unable to attend .....................59 4.2 Programme and abstracts of oral presentations........................................................................62 4.2.1 Presentation Schedule .......................................................................................................62 4.2.2 Abstracts of oral presentations..........................................................................................66 4.3 Background documents............................................................................................................87 4.4 Workshop sessions: content and responsibilities.....................................................................90 4.5 List of acronyms.......................................................................................................................92 3 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Priorities and Conservation Acknowledgements The success of the Albatross and Petrel Workshop was due to the enthusiasm and hard work of a wide range of people. We wish to thank them all, and in particular those mentioned below. The Workshop was run as part of Falkland Conservation’s Albatross and Petrel Programme, which is funded by the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) and the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). Without their support the Workshop would not have been possible. Consolidated Fisheries Ltd (CFL) and Cable and Wireless generously donated further financial support. We are additionally grateful to the Falkland Islands Government, in particular John Barton, Dominique Giudicelli and Councillor Richard Davies for their support during the Workshop, the presentations and helpful input throughout the proceedings. Sarah Clement and Amanda Morris from SeAled PR worked tirelessly up to and during the workshop to ensure the smooth running of events and to welcome the delegates to the Falkland Islands, making sure they were comfortable throughout their stay. All the staff at Falklands Conservation put in a massive effort to help out throughout the proceedings and leading up to the event. We are very grateful to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) for their generous help in the production, printing and distribution of this Report. We would also like to thank His Excellency The Governor for the Reception at Government House and the Chamber of Commerce for the use of the premises for the Workshop presentations and sessions. And last, but not least, a big thank you to all the participants, many of whom endured long journeys to reach the Falklands, to all those who gave presentations, chaired sessions and contributed to the Workshop content. The tireless contribution and assistance provided by John Croxall was of enormous assistance in ensuring a structured and successful meeting. 4 Albatross and Petrels in the South Atlantic: Priorities and Conservation 1. Introduction This International Meeting formed part of the Falklands Islands Albatross and Petrel Programme. This Programme, run by Falklands Conservation, is supported with grant aid from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) and the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). The Meeting focussed on the responsibilities and obligations of Parties to the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP) and aimed to identify priorities for the management and conservation of albatross and petrel species on land and at sea in and around the UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic. Relevant research needs were prioritised and, where possible, costed. The Meeting also examined the interaction between relevant Overseas Territories and the mainland UK in order to maximise future co-ordination. The Workshop provided a prime opportunity to forge