27/04/2026
March Indoor Meeting Review – Richard Phillips – Global Seabirds Conservation
Of the many bird species that are IUCN-listed, the most threatened among the seabirds are the albatrosses, which were the principal focus of this talk by Richard Phillips of the British Antarctic Survey. In a wide-ranging summary, Richard covered the problems facing seabirds, the scientific collaborations enabling the monitoring and tracking of the albatrosses of South Georgia (four main species, all of which have suffered marked decline), and how this data may be used to promote their conservation.
The potential hazards facing seabirds can be listed under several headings, whose significance can vary between populations, and can be assessed by monitoring population demographics, breeding success rates, physical and chemical contamination (plastics, cadmium, mercury), etc. There is some good news: eradication of alien species from islands (e.g. predators such as rats) can be very effective, benefitting many species of seabirds. What becomes clear is that the predominant problem in the decline of albatrosses is their interaction with fisheries; this was emphasised by Richard’s data on monitoring and tracking. The attachment of devices of increasing sophistication to the birds allows some fascinating insights into their behaviour, fitness and migration – at all stages, from the nest, through their first flights, to adulthood. Most impressively, monitoring can indicate how close the birds’ foraging flights take them to active fishing fleets, even identifying the ships involved (at least in principle) from their own signal transmissions.
Richard finished by telling us about ACAP, the international agreement which aims to mitigate the hazards posed by fishing, and under which a huge amount of data from studies like those presented is collated, potentially informing changes in the timing and/or practice of fishing fleet activities. For example, there has been widespread uptake of measures that reduce the by-catch of seabirds on long-line fishing (as we heard previously from Nina da Rocha of the Albatross Task Force). It is further good news, that a large proportion of the relevant nations have signed up to ACAP. However, there are still prominent countries that are not party to ACAP, monitoring standards vary considerably, and fishing fleets operating in international waters may be less co-operative than their governments.
The talk was followed by one of the longest, most varied question/discussion sessions that I can recall at our meetings, indicating the degree to which our interest was raised by this fascinating and important subject.
Tony Corps
