The ultimate irony: Cape Gannets, famed for their greed, are now starving

12 Dec 2017

The word “gannet” is synonymous with gluttony - but lack of food is becoming a serious problem for the Cape Gannet. This year it has been uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered due to population declines driven by depleted fish stocks.

The Afrikaans name for the Cape Gannet Morus capensis is “Malgas”, meaning “mad goose”. This makes sense when you see this large seabird on the ground. Their ungainly waddle, coupled with the difficulty they have in taking off when there isn’t any wind, does appear quite comical. But at sea and they are different birds entirely. When feeding, they plunge into the water like arrows, to depths of up to 20 metres.

But these seabirds, endemic to South Africa and Namibia, have recently been uplisted by BirdLife from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Continued 

Training fishermen to prevent seabird deaths in Namibia

Fishing vessels now have to use ‘seabird safe’ measures such as bird scaring lines, night setting and line weighting. These measures have been proven to massively reduce seabird mortality in fisheries around the world. In South Africa use of these methods has successfully reduced albatross deaths by 99%, which is what we want to see happen in Namibia.

As with any regulation, it is only effective if the law is enforced, in this case with a fine of up to NAD 500,000 (£29,300), and up to 10 years imprisonment. There is a need to increase awareness of and education about seabird bycatch issues, mitigation requirements and options available to crews aboard fishing vessels.  

To ensure that this happens our Albatross Task Force (ATF) team in Namibia (part of the Namibian Nature Foundation) partnered up with the ATF team from BirdLife South Africa and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to deliver a two day training workshop to fishing industry stakeholders and to fisheries observers who will be on the front line ensuring compliance and preventing seabird deaths.  

Read on

After the Pink-headed Duck and the King Vulture, the magnifient White-bellied Heron (WBH) in Assam is all set to go the Dodo way. The absence or disappearance of the White bellied Heron is a matter of grave concern for conservationists. The bird is on the edge of extinction or may have gone extinct in Assam since sighting of the bird becomes very rare. Ornithologists say, there may be a few White bellied herons left in Manas National Park along the Bhutan border, but not sure whether they are resident or flew in from the Bhutan side. A few years back, photograph of this rare bird with a noose around its neck in a village in lower Assam sent shock waves among bird lovers of the state. There was also a news of a rare heron pair seen hanging from electric lines in the Bhutan side a couple of years back.

Once a resident and also a locally migratory species in Assam, shrinking of habitat brought the bird to the edge. These birds are often seen along the banks of Punatshangchu basin in central Bhutan and there are occasional sightings in the Assam-Bhutan border areas and in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border areas. There has been no report of nesting of this recluse bird in the Assam side for the last ten years.

The survival of the White-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis), one of the 50 rarest birds in the world that has an estimated global population of less than 250, greatly depends on the existence of their wetland habitat.
- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/17920#sthash.V0s4dA6e.dpuf

After the Pink-headed Duck and the King Vulture, the magnifient White-bellied Heron (WBH) in Assam is all set to go the Dodo way. The absence or disappearance of the White bellied Heron is a matter of grave concern for conservationists. The bird is on the edge of extinction or may have gone extinct in Assam since sighting of the bird becomes very rare. Ornithologists say, there may be a few White bellied herons left in Manas National Park along the Bhutan border, but not sure whether they are resident or flew in from the Bhutan side. A few years back, photograph of this rare bird with a noose around its neck in a village in lower Assam sent shock waves among bird lovers of the state. There was also a news of a rare heron pair seen hanging from electric lines in the Bhutan side a couple of years back.

Once a resident and also a locally migratory species in Assam, shrinking of habitat brought the bird to the edge. These birds are often seen along the banks of Punatshangchu basin in central Bhutan and there are occasional sightings in the Assam-Bhutan border areas and in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border areas. There has been no report of nesting of this recluse bird in the Assam side for the last ten years.

The survival of the White-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis), one of the 50 rarest birds in the world that has an estimated global population of less than 250, greatly depends on the existence of their wetland habitat.
- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/17920#sthash.V0s4dA6e.dpuf

Shrinking habitat push magnificient bird to the edge

Submitted by Chandan Kumar Duarah on Sat, 29/10/2016 - 19:57

After the Pink-headed Duck and the King Vulture, the magnifient White-bellied Heron (WBH) in Assam is all set to go the Dodo way. The absence or disappearance of the White bellied Heron is a matter of grave concern for conservationists. The bird is on the edge of extinction or may have gone extinct in Assam since sighting of the bird becomes very rare. Ornithologists say, there may be a few White bellied herons left in Manas National Park along the Bhutan border, but not sure whether they are resident or flew in from the Bhutan side. A few years back, photograph of this rare bird with a noose around its neck in a village in lower Assam sent shock waves among bird lovers of the state. There was also a news of a rare heron pair seen hanging from electric lines in the Bhutan side a couple of years back.

Once a resident and also a locally migratory species in Assam, shrinking of habitat brought the bird to the edge. These birds are often seen along the banks of Punatshangchu basin in central Bhutan and there are occasional sightings in the Assam-Bhutan border areas and in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border areas. There has been no report of nesting of this recluse bird in the Assam side for the last ten years.

The survival of the White-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis), one of the 50 rarest birds in the world that has an estimated global population of less than 250, greatly depends on the existence of their wetland habitat.

Distribution and habitat:

The White-bellied Heron is Critically Endangered in the IUCN list, with a population as low as 50–249 individuals. These birds exist in very low numbers over a large area comprising Bhutan, Yunan in China, northern Myanmar and northeast India. The species is found in the wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas -- in India and Myanmar. It is spotted in Bhutan's sub-tropical areas and was also once found in Nepal. Traces of heron chicks were sighted in Zhemgang in Central Bhutan also. Herons mostly dwell in Southeast Asian countries and Bhutan shelters a little over 30 herons in the Himalayan region. Once eight nesting sites were identified amongst lofty flowing waters with pebbly substrates and Chir pine forests in Bhutan. A nesting site of this extremely rare White bellied Heron was also discovered in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the first known nesting site of the WBH in India. Nest of the bird was found about 18 metres above ground on an East Indian almond (Terminalia myriocarpa) tree. In 2015, ornithologists observed the courtship of a pair of white-bellied heron.The courtship begins in the winter from January to February as the river water recedes. The birds chase after each other playfully with sticks and calling out to partners. The pair went on to build a nest at the site. This is the first nesting site of the bird to be scientificly identified in Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Before the discovery of this site, Bhutan was (thought to be) the only country in the world to have a breeding population of the White-bellied Heron. Bhutan is home to about 10 per cent of the world’s total population of these birds.

- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/17920#sthash.V0s4dA6e.dpuf

Shrinking habitat push magnificient bird to the edge

Submitted by Chandan Kumar Duarah on Sat, 29/10/2016 - 19:57

After the Pink-headed Duck and the King Vulture, the magnifient White-bellied Heron (WBH) in Assam is all set to go the Dodo way. The absence or disappearance of the White bellied Heron is a matter of grave concern for conservationists. The bird is on the edge of extinction or may have gone extinct in Assam since sighting of the bird becomes very rare. Ornithologists say, there may be a few White bellied herons left in Manas National Park along the Bhutan border, but not sure whether they are resident or flew in from the Bhutan side. A few years back, photograph of this rare bird with a noose around its neck in a village in lower Assam sent shock waves among bird lovers of the state. There was also a news of a rare heron pair seen hanging from electric lines in the Bhutan side a couple of years back.

Once a resident and also a locally migratory species in Assam, shrinking of habitat brought the bird to the edge. These birds are often seen along the banks of Punatshangchu basin in central Bhutan and there are occasional sightings in the Assam-Bhutan border areas and in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border areas. There has been no report of nesting of this recluse bird in the Assam side for the last ten years.

The survival of the White-bellied heron (Ardea Insignis), one of the 50 rarest birds in the world that has an estimated global population of less than 250, greatly depends on the existence of their wetland habitat.

Distribution and habitat:

The White-bellied Heron is Critically Endangered in the IUCN list, with a population as low as 50–249 individuals. These birds exist in very low numbers over a large area comprising Bhutan, Yunan in China, northern Myanmar and northeast India. The species is found in the wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas -- in India and Myanmar. It is spotted in Bhutan's sub-tropical areas and was also once found in Nepal. Traces of heron chicks were sighted in Zhemgang in Central Bhutan also. Herons mostly dwell in Southeast Asian countries and Bhutan shelters a little over 30 herons in the Himalayan region. Once eight nesting sites were identified amongst lofty flowing waters with pebbly substrates and Chir pine forests in Bhutan. A nesting site of this extremely rare White bellied Heron was also discovered in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the first known nesting site of the WBH in India. Nest of the bird was found about 18 metres above ground on an East Indian almond (Terminalia myriocarpa) tree. In 2015, ornithologists observed the courtship of a pair of white-bellied heron.The courtship begins in the winter from January to February as the river water recedes. The birds chase after each other playfully with sticks and calling out to partners. The pair went on to build a nest at the site. This is the first nesting site of the bird to be scientificly identified in Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Before the discovery of this site, Bhutan was (thought to be) the only country in the world to have a breeding population of the White-bellied Heron. Bhutan is home to about 10 per cent of the world’s total population of these birds.

- See more at: http://www.assamtimes.org/node/17920#sthash.V0s4dA6e.dpuf

First Red Data Book on Birds

FRIDAY, 29 MAY 2015 10:57 PUBLISHED DATE IBILOLA HITS: 17

Minister of Environment and Tourism, Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, in a statement issued last week said that since independence, Namibia has been building a platform of environmental and conservation policies and legislation that balances the needs of people today and those of future generations by promoting and safeguarding a healthy and productive environment. Getting this balance right is to achieve Sustainable Development.

“Getting policies and laws in place, however, is just the start of the process. To make an impact on the ground and to achieve the necessary environmental and conservation objectives within the broader sustainable development goal requires a range of tools. Accurate information is essential. So are clear strategies and action plans. Red Data Books play an important role in providing detailed analysis at the species level using agreed international criteria, compiling key up-to-date information and making firm recommendations for conservation,” said the minister.

This Red Data Book on the birds of Namibia is the first comprehensive Red Data Book for Namibia. It has assessed the conservation status of all 677 recorded species rating them from “Least Concern” (i.e. not considered to be under any threat), through “Near Threatened”, “Vulnerable”, “Endangered”, “Critically Endangered” and “Nationally Extinct”.

Continued ...

Namibia takes positive steps to save 30,000 seabirds a year

By Shaun Hurrell, Fri, 07/11/2014 - 12:09

Following a meeting with the BirdLife’s Albatross Task Force, The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia has introduced new fishery regulations which should practically eliminate seabird mortality from one of the most destructive fisheries in the world.

This is more excellent news for the Albatross Task Force (ATF) who have been working with the Ministry in Namibia since 2008, and have demonstrated that the combined levels of seabird mortality for their hake longline and trawl fisheries is around 30,000 seabirds per year, which is one of the highest levels in the world.

The ATF have demonstrated that adoption of simple and cost-effective mitigation measures in both these fisheries could reduce mortality to negligible levels.

Incidental bycatch in fisheries constitutes the major threat for many vulnerable populations of seabirds. Globally 300,000 seabirds are killed in longline and trawl fisheries each year where they are hooked and drown on baited hooks or are struck by trawl cables and dragged under water. Approximately 100,000 of these birds are albatross, the most threatened family of birds with 15 of 22 species at risk of extinction.

Continued ...

Dead birds trigger bio-toxin scare

A neurotoxin known as domoic acid is probably killing large numbers of birds in the Walvis Bay area. The carcasses of more than 100 Greater Flamingo and Avocets have been spotted since last week, some even as far as Long Beach. 

The number of dead birds led to scores of reports from the public to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, bird conservation groups and even the Municipality of Walvis Bay. People initially thought it was the work of work of stray dogs targeting the birds roosting in the shallow water, especially in the Walvis Bay lagoon.

When realising only Avocet and Greater Flamingoes are killed scientists at the Ministry of Fisheries tested for bio-toxins. They almost instantly suspected it to be domoic acid, a neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning. Water samples were tested as well as tissue samples collected from the carcasses.

What also led scientists to suspect domoic acid to be the cause are the many reports on Greater Flamingo and Avocet behaving strangely. Telltale signs of domoic acid poisoning are that the birds show no fear of humans and move in a disorientated manner.

"We have ruled out viral infection, heavy metals in the water or pollutants from the port of Walvis Bay," John Patterson of the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia (CETN) told Informanté. He explained that domoic acid is a bio-toxin that originates from phytoplankton.

It is especially lethal to zoo-plankton filter feeders like the Greater Flamingo and Avocet. The Lesser Flamingo that feed on phytoplankton are unaffected.

Patterson further explained domoic acid outbreaks are natural occurrences, like red tide, and cannot be controlled nor prevented. It is also unknown how long the phenomenon lasts and where along the Namibian coast it would occur next.

In mammals, including humans, domoic acid acts as a neurotoxin, causing short-term memory loss, brain damage and, in severe cases, death.


http://www.informante.web.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10959:dead-birds-trigger-bio-toxin-scare-&catid=1:coastal&Itemid=103