MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spatial Segregation of Seabirds at South Georgia

Albatross nesting with chick

The latest edition of the South Georgia Newsletter refers to seabirds, which are amongst the most globally threatened birds, often as a consequence of incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries. At South Georgia, wandering albatrosses have declined since the 1970s, and are listed by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) as one of nine global High-Priority populations for conservation.

Another species at South Georgia, the white-chinned petrel, is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN and is the species most commonly bycaught in Southern Ocean fisheries. Understanding the at-sea distributions and fisheries overlap of these species are key goals of the Albatross Conservation Action Plans and Marine Protected Area Researh and Monitoring Plan of the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.

In January 2022, Platform Terminal Transmitters (PTTs) were attached to breeding white-chinned petrels at Cooper Island and Bird Island, and wandering albatrosses at Prion Island.

This project was funded by Darwin Plus, GSGSSI and Friends of South Georgia Island.