Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T10:11:46.163Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Year-round movements of white-chinned petrels from Marion Island, south-western Indian Ocean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2018

Dominic P. Rollinson*
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Ben J. Dilley
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Delia Davies
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Peter G. Ryan
Affiliation:
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa

Abstract

White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis L. are the most frequently recorded procellariiform species in the bycatch of Southern Hemisphere longline fisheries. Our study investigated the year-round movements of ten adult white-chinned petrels (seven breeders, three non-breeders/suspected pre-breeders) from Marion Island tracked with global location sensor (GLS) loggers for three years. Additionally, 20 global positioning system (GPS) tracks were obtained from breeding white-chinned petrels during incubation (n=9) and chick-rearing (n=11). All GLS-tagged birds remained, year-round, in the area between southern Africa and Antarctica, not making any major east/west movements. Three core areas (50% kernels) were utilized: around the Prince Edward Islands (PEI; incubation and early chick-rearing), c. 1000 km west of PEI (pre-breeding and early incubation) and around South Africa (non-breeding birds). The only area where 50% utilization kernels overlapped with intensive longline fishing effort was off the Agulhas Bank (non-breeding season). Our results confirm the lack of foraging overlap between the two subspecies; nominate birds (South Georgia/south-western Indian Ocean) utilize separate areas to P. a. steadi (New Zealand/sub-Antarctic islands), and thus should be treated as separate management units. Knowledge of the year-round movements of a vagile species, such as the white-chinned petrel, is important for its continued conservation.

Type
Biological Sciences
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Angel, A., Wanless, R.M. & Cooper, J. 2009. Review of impacts of the introduced house mouse on islands in the Southern Ocean: are mice equivalent to rats? Biological Invasions, 11, 17431754.Google Scholar
Barbraud, C., Delord, K., Marteau, C. & Weimerskirch, H. 2009. Estimates of population size of white-chinned petrels and grey petrels at Kerguelen Islands and sensitivity to fisheries. Animal Conservation, 12, 258265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbraud, C., Marteau, C., Ridoux, V., Delord, K. & Weimerskirch, H. 2008. Demographic response of a population of white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis to climate and longline fishery bycatch. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 14601467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, K.N., Ryan, P.G. & Boix-Hinzen, C. 1997. The impact of the hake Merluccius spp. longline fishery off South Africa on Procellariiform seabirds. Biological Conservation, 82, 227234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berrow, S.D., Croxall, J.P. & Grant, S.D. 2000a. Status of white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis Linnaeus 1758, at Bird Island, South Georgia. Antarctic Science, 12, 399405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berrow, S.D., Wood, A.G. & Prince, P.A. 2000b. Foraging location and range of white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis breeding in the south Atlantic. Journal of Avian Biology, 31, 303311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calenge, C. 2006. The package “adehabitat” for the R software: a tool for the analysis of space and habitat use by animals. Ecological Modelling, 197, 516519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catard, A., Weimerskirch, H. & Cherel, Y. 2000. Exploitation of distant Antarctic waters and close-break waters by white-chinned petrels rearing chicks. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 194, 249261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CCAMLR. 2014. Fishery report 2014: Dissostichus eleginoides Prince Edward Islands South African EEZ (subareas 58.6 and 58.7 and part of area 51). Available from www.ccamlr.org, accessed 14 October 2016.Google Scholar
Clay, T.A., Manica, A., Ryan, P.G., Silk, J.R.D., Croxall, J.P., Ireland, L. & Phillips, R.A. 2016. Proximate drivers of spatial segregation in non-breeding albatrosses. Scientific Reports, 6, 10.1038/srep29932.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, J. & Brown, C.R. 1990. Ornithological research at the subAntarctic Prince Edward Islands a review of achievements. South African Journal of Antarctic Research, 20, 4057.Google Scholar
Delord, K., Cotté, C., Péron, C., Marteau, C., Pruvost, P., Gasco, N., Duhamel, G., Cherel, Y. & Weimerskirch, H. 2010. At-sea distribution and diet of an endangered top predator: relationship between white-chinned petrels and commercial longline fisheries. Endangered Species Research, 13, 116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dias, M.P., Granadeiro, J.P., Phillips, R.A., Alonso, H. & Catry, P. 2011. Breaking the routine: individual Cory’s shearwaters shift winter destinations between hemispheres and across ocean basins. Proceedings of the Royal Society - Biological Sciences, B278, 17861793.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dilley, B.J., Schramm, M. & Ryan, P.G. 2017. Modest increases in densities of burrow-nesting petrels following the removal of cats (Felis catus) from Marion Island. Polar Biology, 10.1007/s00300-016-1985-z.Google Scholar
IUCN. 2016. IUCN red list of threatened species. Available at www.iucnredlist.org, accessed 15 December 2016.Google Scholar
Jaeger, A., Connan, M., Richard, P., Cherel, Y. 2010. Use of stable isotopes to quantify seasonal changes of trophic niche and levels of population and individual specialisation in seabirds. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 401, 269277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jimenez, S., Domingo, A., Abreu, M. & Brazeiro, A. 2012. Bycatch susceptibility in pelagic longline fisheries: are albatrosses affected by the diving behaviour of medium-sized petrels? Aquatic Conservation - Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 22, 436445.Google Scholar
Jouventin, P., Bried, J. & Micol, T. 2003. Insular bird populations can be saved from rats: a long-term experimental study of white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis on Ile de la Possession (Crozet archipelago). Polar Biology, 26, 371378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaehler, S., Pakhomov, E.A. & McQuaid, C.D. 2000. Trophic structure of the marine food web at the Prince Edward Islands (Southern Ocean) determined by δ13C and δ15N analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 208, 1320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krüger, L., Ramos, J.A., Xavier, J.C., Grémillet, D., González-Solís, J., Petry, M.V., Phillips, R.A., Wanless, R.M. & Paiva, V.H. 2018. Projected distributions of Southern Ocean albatrosses, petrels and fisheries as a consequence of climatic change. Ecography, 10.1111/ecog.02590.Google Scholar
Laver, P.N. & Kelly, M.J. 2008. A critical review of home range studies. Journal of Wildlife Management, 72, 290298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewison, R., Oro, D., Godley, B., Underhill, L., Bearhop, S., Wilson, R., Ainley, D., Arcos, J., Boersma, P., Borboroglu, P., Boulinier, T., Frederiksen, M., Genovart, M., González-Solís, J., Green, J., Grémillet, D., Hamer, K., Hilton, G., Hyrenbach, K., Martínez-Abraín, A., Montevecchi, W., Phillips, R., Ryan, P., Sagar, P., Sydeman, W., Wanless, S., Watanuki, Y., Weimerskirch, H. & Yorio, P. 2012. Research priorities for seabirds: improving conservation and management in the 21st century. Endangered Species Research, 17, 93121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackley, E.K., Phillips, R.A., Silk, J.R.D., Wakefield, E.D., Afanasyev, V. & Furness, R.W. 2011. At-sea activity patterns of breeding and nonbreeding white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis from South Georgia. Marine Biology, 158, 429438.Google Scholar
Maree, B.A., Wanless, R.M., Fairweather, T.P., Sullivan, B.J. & Yates, O. 2014. Significant reductions in mortality of threatened seabirds in a South African trawl fishery. Animal Conservation, 17, 520529.Google Scholar
Martin, A.R., Poncet, S., Barbraud, C., Foster, E., Fretwell, P. & Rothery, P. 2009. The white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) on South Georgia: population size, distribution and global significance. Polar Biology, 32, 655661.Google Scholar
Nel, D.C. 2008. South Africa’s proposed Marine Protected Area at the Prince Edward Islands: an analysis of legal obligations, options and opportunities. In Nel, D. & Omardien, A., eds. Towards the development of a Marine Protected Area at the Prince Edwards Islands. WWF South Africa Report Series - 2008/Marine/001. Available at http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/peicombinedreportkb.pdf.Google Scholar
Nel, D.C., Ryan, P.G. & Watkins, B.P. 2002. Seabird mortality in the Patagonian toothfish longline fishery around the Prince Edward Islands, 1996–2000. Antarctic Science, 14, 151161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Péron, C., Authier, M., Barbraud, C., Delord, K., Besson, D. & Weimerskirch, H. 2010a. Interdecadal changes in at-sea distribution and abundance of sub-Antarctic seabirds along a latitudinal gradient in the Southern Ocean. Global Change Biology, 16, 18951909.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Péron, C., Delord, K., Phillips, R.A., Charbonnier, Y., Marteau, C., Louzao, M. & Weimerskirch, H. 2010b. Seasonal variation in oceanographic habitat and behaviour of white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis from Kerguelen Island. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 416, 267284.Google Scholar
Petersen, S.L., Honig, M.B. & Nel, D. 2007. The impact of longline fisheries on seabirds in the Benguela current large marine ecosystem. In Petersen, S.L., Nel, D. & Omardien, A., eds. Towards an ecosystem approach to longline fisheries in the Benguela: an assessment of impacts on seabirds, sea turtles and sharks. WWF South Africa Report Series, 2007/Marine/001, 9–31. Available at http://www.wwf.eu/?99180/Towards-an-ecosystem-approach-to-longline-fisheries-in-the-Benguela-An-assessment-of-impacts-on-seabirds-sea-turtles-and-sharks.Google Scholar
Petersen, S.L., Honig, M.B., Ryan, P.G. & Underhill, L.G. 2009a. Seabird bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery off southern Africa. African Journal of Marine Science, 31, 191204.Google Scholar
Petersen, S.L., Honig, M.B., Ryan, P.G., Underhill, L.G. & Goren, M. 2009b. Seabird bycatch in the demersal longline fishery off southern Africa. African Journal of Marine Science, 31, 205214.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.A., Xavier, J.C. & Croxall, J.P. 2003. Effects of satellite transmitters on albatrosses and petrels. Auk, 120, 10821090.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.A., Silk, J.R.D., Croxall, J.P. & Afanasyev, V. 2006. Year‐round distribution of white‐chinned petrels from South Georgia: relationships with oceanography and fisheries. Biological Conservation, 129, 336347.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.A., Silk, J.R.D., Croxall, J.P., Afanasyev, V. & Bennett, V.J. 2005. Summer distribution and migration of nonbreeding albatrosses: individual consistencies and implications for conservation. Ecology, 86, 23862396.Google Scholar
Phillips, R.A., Silk, J.R.D., Croxall, J.P., Afanasyev, V. & Briggs, D.R. 2004. Accuracy of geolocation estimates for flying seabirds. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 266, 265272.Google Scholar
Pontier, D., Say, L., Debias, F., Bried, J., Thioulouse, J., Micol, T. & Natoli, E. 2002. The diet of feral cats (Felis catus L.) at five sites on the Grande Terre, Kerguelen Archipelago. Polar Biology, 25, 833837.Google Scholar
R Core Team. 2015. R: a language and environment for statistical computing, version 3.2.5. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.Google Scholar
Reid, T.A., Lecoq, M. & Catry, P. 2007. The white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis population of the Falkland Islands. Marine Ornithology, 35, 5760.Google Scholar
Rexer-Huber, K., Parker, G.C. & Thompson, D.R. 2016. New Zealand white-chinned petrel population research update. Information paper INF 13 to the agreement on the conservation of albatrosses and petrels PaCSWG3. Dunedin: Parker Conservation.Google Scholar
Rexer-Huber, K., Parker, G.C., Sagar, P.M. & Thompson, D.R. 2017. White-chinned petrel population estimate, Disappointment Island (Auckland Islands). Polar Biology, 10.1007/s00300-016-2031-x.Google Scholar
Rollinson, D.P., Dilley, B.J. & Ryan, P.G. 2014. Diving behaviour of white-chinned petrels and its relevance for mitigating longline bycatch. Polar Biology, 37, 13011308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollinson, D.P., Wanless, R.M. & Ryan, P.G. 2017. Patterns and trends in seabird bycatch associated with the pelagic longline fishery off South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science, 39, 925.Google Scholar
Ryan, P.G. & Boix-Hinzen, C. 1999. Consistent male-biased seabird mortality in the Patagonian toothfish longline fishery. Auk, 116, 851854.Google Scholar
Ryan, P.G., Dilley, B.J. & Jones, M.G.W. 2012. The distribution and abundance of white-chinned petrels breeding at the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands. Polar Biology, 35, 18511859.Google Scholar
Shaffer, S.A., Costa, D.P. & Weimerskirch, H. 2003. Foraging effort in relation to the constraints of reproduction in free-ranging albatrosses. Functional Ecology, 17, 6674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shannon, L.V. & O’Toole, M.J. 2003. Sustainability of the Benguela: ex Africa semper aliquid novi . In Hempel, G. & Sherman, K., eds. Large marine ecosystem: trends in exploitation protection and research. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 227253.Google Scholar
Sink, K.J., Wilkinson, S., Atkinson, L.J., Sims, P.F., Leslie, R.W. & Atwood, C.G. 2012. The potential impacts of South Africa’s demersal hake trawl fishery on benthic habitats: historical perspectives, spatial analyses, current review and potential management actions. Silverton: South African National Biodiversity Institute, Available at http://www.sanbi.org/sites/default/files/documents/documents/benthic-report-sadstia-sink-et-al-2012-draft.pdf.Google Scholar
Sommer, E., Boyle, D., Baer, J., Fraser, M., Palmer, D. & Sagar, P. 2010. Antipodes Island white-chinned petrel and grey petrel field work report, 2009–10. Final Research Report to Ministry of Fisheries. Wellington: NIWA.Google Scholar
Sommer, E., Boyle, D., Fraser, M.J. & Sagar, P.M. 2011. Antipodes Island white-chinned petrel field work report, 2011. Final Research Report to Ministry of Fisheries. Wellington: NIWA.Google Scholar
Sumner, M.D., Wotherspoon, S.J. & Hindell, M.A. 2009. Bayesian estimation of animal movement from archival and satellite tags. PLoS ONE, 10.1371/journal.pone.0007324.Google Scholar
Techow, N.M.S.M., Ryan, P.G. & O’Ryan, C. 2009. Phylogeography and taxonomy of white-chinned and spectacled petrels. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 52, 2533.Google Scholar
Techow, N.M.S.M., O’Ryan, C., Robertson, C.J.R. & Ryan, P.G. 2016. The origins of white-chinned petrels killed by long-line fisheries off South Africa and New Zealand. Polar Research, 10.3402/polar.v35.21150.Google Scholar
Watkins, B.P., Petersen, S.L. & Ryan, P.G. 2008. Interactions between seabirds and deep-water hake trawl gear: an assessment of impacts in South African waters. Animal Conservation, 11, 247254.Google Scholar
Weimerskirch, H., Catard, A., Prince, P.A., Cherel, Y. & Croxall, J.P. 1999. Foraging white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis at risk: from the tropics to Antarctica. Biological Conservation, 87, 273275.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 1

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 40 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 2

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 40.1 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 3

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.1 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 4

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.2 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 5

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 42.8 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 6

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.6 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 7

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.6 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 8

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 41.5 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 9

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.9 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 10

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 41.2 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 11

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 43.6 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 12

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 42.6 MB
Supplementary material: File

Rollinson et al. supplementary material

Rollinson et al. supplementary material 13

Download Rollinson et al. supplementary material(File)
File 1.9 MB