Project

751

Chief Investigator

GALES, Dr Rosemary - Department of Primary Industries & Water

Title

Status and conservation of albatrosses on Macquarie Island

Project aims

Across the Southern Ocean populations of albatrosses and giant petrels have declined as a result of interactions with fishing operations. All four albatross species and the two giant petrel species breeding on Macquarie Island are listed as Threatened in Tasmania (Endangered - Wandering albatross, Grey-headed albatross, Black-browed albatross; Vulnerable - light-mantled sooty albatross, Southern Giant Petrel; Rare - Northern Giant Petrel). Knowledge of the population and demographic status of populations is essential in order to monitor their recovery. This program aims to monitor the population trends of the albatrosses and giant petrels on Macquarie Island through counts and banding of the birds. Long term monitoring study is required to obtain information regarding population size and productivity, adult and juvenile survival rates and age- and sex-related effects on reproductive performance and survival. The oceanic movements of the birds (assessed via satellite tracking) are being investigated so that questions regarding temporal and spatial overlap with fishing operations can be addressed. With this knowledge we will be well placed to make realistic conservation assessments for the populations and be able to provide appropriate input into management protocols. All aspects of this conservation and management program are identified as priority actions in the Albatross and Giant Petrel Recovery Plan (Environment Australia 2001).

Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature

Gales R. (1998) Albatross populations: Status and Threats, Robertson G., Gales R. (eds) Biology and conservation of Albatrosses 20-45; [Ref: 8268]

Gales R.P. (1987) Validation of the stomach flushing technique for obtaining stomach contents of penguins. , Ibis 129. 335-343; [Ref: 8269]

Pemberton D., Gales R. (1987) Notes on the status and breeding of imperial cormorants Phalacrocorax atriceps at Heard Island, Cormorant 15. 33-40; [Ref: 8270]

Gales R., Pemberton D. (1988) Recovery after exploitation of the King penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus population at Heard Island, Australian Journal of Wildlife Research 15. 578-585; [Ref: 8271]

Klages N.T.W., Gales R., Pemberton D. (1989) Dietary segregation of macaroni and rockhopper penguins at Heard Island. , Australian Journal of Wildlife Research 16. 599-604; [Ref: 8272]

Klages N.T.W., Gales R., Pemberton D. (1990) The stomach contents of Antarctic petrels feeding young chicks at Scullin Monolith, Mawson Coast, Antarctica. , Polar Biology 10. 545-547; [Ref: 8273]

Klages N.T.W., Pemberton D., Gales R. (1990) The diets of king and gentoo penguins at Heard Island. , Australian Journal of Wildlife Research 17. 53-60; [Ref: 8274]

Gales R., Pemberton D., Clarke M., Lu C.C. (1992) Stomach contents of long-finned whales Globicephala melas and bottlenose dolphins Tursitops truncatus in Tasmania, Marine Mammal Science 8. 405-413; [Ref: 8275]

Gales R., Green B., Lipke J., Newgrain K., Pemberton D. (1993) Free-ranging energetics of gentoo penguins at Heard and Macquarie Islands. , Journal of Zoology (London) 231. 125-139; [Ref: 7610]

Croxall J.C., Gales R.G. (1998) An assessment of the Conservation status of albatrosses, in: Robertson G., Gales R. (eds) Albatross Conservation and Biology 46-65; [Ref: 8533]

Hindell M.A., Brothers N.J., Gales R. (1999) Mercury and cadmium concentrations in the tissues of three species of southern albatrosses, Polar Biolgy 22. 102-108; [Ref: 8882]

Hedd A., Gales R., Brothers N. (2001) Foraging strategies of shy albatrosses Thalassarche cauta breeding at Albatross Island, Tasmania, Australia, Marine Ecology Progress Series 224. 267-282; [Ref: 10445]

Terauds A., Gales R., Baker G.B., Alderman R. (2006) Population and survival trends of Wandering Albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) breeding on Macquarie Island, Emu 106. 211-218; [Ref: 12688]

Terauds A., Gales R., Alderman R. (2006) Trends in numbers and survival of Black-browed (Thalassarche melanophrys) and Grey-headed (T. chrysostoma) Albatrosses breeding on Macquarie Island, Emu 105. 159-167; [Ref: 12689]

Terauds A., Gales R., Baker G.B., Alderman R. (2006) Foraging areas of black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses breeding on Macquarie Island in relation to marine protected areas, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater ecosystems 16. 133-146; [Ref: 12691]

Raymond B., Lea M.-A. , Patterson T., Andrews-Goff V., Sharples R., Charrassin J.-B. , Cottin M., Emmerson L., Gales N., Gales R., Goldsworthy S.D., Harcourt R., Kato A., Kirkwood R., Lawton K., Ropert-Coudert Y., Southwell C., van den Hoff J., Wienecke B., Woehler E.J., Wotherspoon S., Hindell M.A. (2015) Important marine habitat off east Antarctica revealed by two decades of multi-species predator tracking, Ecography 38(2). 121-129; [Ref: 15377]

Category 2: International meeting papers

Baker B., Gales R. (2000) Australian research under way on seabirds vulnerable to fisheries interactions, CCAMLR Scientific Abstracts - WG-FSA-00/49 (2000). 28; [Ref: 9792]

Category 3: Abstract

Gales R., Brothers N., Terauds A. (2000) The vulnerable status of albatrosses of macquarie island: Conservation and Threats. , ; [Ref: 9977]

Terauds A., Gales R., Brothers N. (2000) The demographic profile of the endangered population of Wandering albatrosses on Macquarie Island: Work in progress , ; [Ref: 9978]

Gales R. (1996) Undertaking research on sensitive species or populations: a case study - albatrosses on Macquarie Island , Antarctic Animal Ethics Workshop - Future Sensitivities in Antarctic Animal Research ; [Ref: 8535]

Category 3: Article

Gales R. (1993) Co-operative Mechanisms for the Conservation of Albatross. , Australian Nature Conservation Agency 132 pp; [Ref: 8267]

Gales R., Pemberton D. (1987) Fragile Web of Life: Natural history of Heard Island. , Australian Geographic 9. 67-68; [Ref: 8276]