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Incidental mortality in fisheries is the main at-sea threat albatrosses are facing nowadays. In this study we used remote sensing techniques to model the degree of spatial overlapping between the Black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) and Argentine fisheries, assuming this as a proxy of risk for albatrosses. Eleven tags were deployed on albatrosses during the non-breeding seasons 2011 and 2012 in the Patagonian Shelf. Their distribution overlapped to different extents with the two coastal trawl, three offshore trawl and one demersal longline fisheries. The overlap index showed highest values with both coastal fleets, followed by the ice-chilling trawl fleet. These intersections were located in the Argentinean–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone, in coastal areas of the SE of Buenos Aires province, El Rincón estuary and over the shelf break. The analysis of intersections of focal areas from albatrosses and all fisheries allowed the identification of thirty-four fishing management units (1° by 1° grid within the Argentine EEZ) classified as of medium, high or very high conservation priority. Very high priority units were placed between 35 and 38°S in the external mouth of Rio de la Plata, and between 45 and 47°S in neighboring waters East to the hake fishing closure. Although there were possible biases due to the limited number of tracked birds and the locations where albatrosses were captured and instrumented, the information presented in this study provides a comprehensive picture of important areas of overlapping during winter that could be used by the fishery administration to prioritize conservation actions under limited resource scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the breeding season, seabirds act as central place foragers, constrained to foraging locations nearer to the breeding colony. Variability in energetic demands during phases of the breeding period has the capacity to shape foraging behaviour and influence at-sea foraging behaviour of seabirds due to the changing requirements of the young. Short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) (STSH) are a migratory species that migrates between foraging grounds in the northern Pacific Ocean and breeding colonies in south-east Australia. They are known to traverse large sectors of the Southern Ocean to find prey; however the at-sea foraging locations of this species are not spatially and temporally well defined during the breeding season, when energetic requirements are at their peak. We aimed to define key foraging areas of STSH over the pre-laying, incubation and chick-rearing phases of the breeding cycle and identify associations with broad scale oceanographic features. Using light-level geolocation archival tag technology, 27 adults from a southern Tasmanian colony were tracked from their arrival in October to March (2010–2011), providing information on a total of 77 pre-laying exodus, incubation and chick-rearing flights throughout the Southern Ocean. During the pre-laying exodus and incubation phases, the birds visited waters of the sub-Antarctic Front and Polar Frontal Zone. After hatching, the birds made direct flights to the Marginal Ice Zone between 155°E and 90°E. The Antarctic pack ice is a key nursery ground for Antarctic krill (Euphasia superba) over the winter months, and as the ice retreats they become more accessible to STSH when energetic demands, due to chick provisioning, are at their greatest. During late chick-rearing, the birds used waters in the region of the Antarctic Divergence. A foraging index created from activity data collected by the tags indicated that adults spent the greatest amount of time foraging at the furthest extent of each trip. This study has shown that STSH alter their foraging movements over the course of the breeding season, using areas that are likely to provide predictable food resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of human activities in offshore maritime regions has outpaced the development of scientific knowledge and cooperative governance across these areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). In this context, current negotiations by the United Nations aim for an international legally-binding instrument to improve governance and sustainable use of biodiversity in ABNJ. Penguins are among the most threatened seabird groups today, notably at sea from fisheries and oiling. Here, we examine the available information on penguins' movements and evaluate their use of ABNJ across species and life-cycle stages. We highlight that in most of the 18 extant penguin species, the birds may undertake spectacular migrations, seasonally or throughout life-cycle stages. Long-range movements were reported in 16 species, with trans-jurisdictional distribution in 14 species, including 13 in ABNJ. Species richness in ABNJ varied extensively according to oceanic region, and also varied according to season. Transboundary movements, notably to ABNJ, are thus remarkably prevalent among penguin species. Consequently, provisions of the treaty under negotiation may crucially benefit penguin conservation, notably by creating a uniform legal framework to designate protected areas in ABNJ, and by promoting the precautionary approach to extraction activities. However, the seasonally-dynamic utilisation of ABNJ by penguins supports the pertinence of adding innovative protection tools, such as mobile Marine Protected Areas, to the negotiations for a more adequate protection of marine biodiversity. Underlining penguins' remarkable connectivity to the high seas can thus further strengthen this instrument aiming to protect a global ocean commons heritage of mankind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]