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The ASG, the oldest of Birds Australia's Special Interest Groups, was formed in 1971. Its objectives are to promote seabird research and conservation in Australasia. We pursue our objectives through a range of activities. These include publication of a bulletin and other seabird material, organisation of symposia of issues affecting seabirds, provision of expert opinion on the management and conservation of seabird populations in Australasia, and the co-ordination of projects including a survey of seabird islands and the beach patrol projects.
Latest News
Albatross and Petrel Conference in New Zealand
The 5th International Albatross and Petrel Conference (IAPC5) will be held in Wellington, New Zealand 12th to 17th of August 2012 (http://www.iapc5.co.nz). This event takes place approximately every 4 years with previous conferences in Cape Town, South Africa (2008), Montevideo, Uruguay (2004), Honolulu Hawaii, USA (2000) and Hobart, Australia (1995). The conference will cover all aspects of albatross and petrel biology, ecology, distributions and tracking, taxonomy and human interactions. It will be held at the Museum of New Zealand ‘Te Papa’ and is hosted by the National Institute of Water and Atmospherics.
Looking across Little Broughton to Broughton Island with North Rock and Inner Rock Islands in the distance © Margarita Steinhardt
Direct loading the boat for the ASG survey of Little Broughton Island © Margarita Steinhardt
ASG island survey team on Little Broughton Island September 2010 © ASG
White-faced Storm-Petrel in hand on North Rock Island © Margarita Steinhardt
3-day old penguin chick, a species not previously recorded on Little Broughton Island © Maragrita Steinhardt
Little Broughton Island from the summit of the main island
White-bellied Sea-eagle with Wedge-tailed Shearwater kill © Margarita Steinhardt
Sea-eagle looses its prey due to harassment from a resident pair © Margarita Steinhardt
ASG Steve Tremont (NSW) with Gould’s petrel in a small colony discovered on Little Broughton Island.
ASG Brook Whylie (NSW) awaiting the pick-up boat at the ‘launch site’ in the lee of 40 knot winds on Inner Rock, Broughton Islands.
The discovery of Little Penguin chicks on Inner Rock made this the second new breeding site for this species since the re-surveys began in 2008.
Looking across Little Broughton to Broughton Island with North Rock and Inner Rock Islands in the distance © Margarita Steinhardt
Direct loading the boat for the ASG survey of Little Broughton Island © Margarita Steinhardt
ASG island survey team on Little Broughton Island September 2010 © ASG
White-faced Storm-Petrel in hand on North Rock Island © Margarita Steinhardt
3-day old penguin chick, a species not previously recorded on Little Broughton Island © Maragrita Steinhardt
Little Broughton Island from the summit of the main island
White-bellied Sea-eagle with Wedge-tailed Shearwater kill © Margarita Steinhardt
Sea-eagle looses its prey due to harassment from a resident pair © Margarita Steinhardt
ASG Steve Tremont (NSW) with Gould’s petrel in a small colony discovered on Little Broughton Island.
ASG Brook Whylie (NSW) awaiting the pick-up boat at the ‘launch site’ in the lee of 40 knot winds on Inner Rock, Broughton Islands.
The discovery of Little Penguin chicks on Inner Rock made this the second new breeding site for this species since the re-surveys began in 2008.
Research Work
 Seabird Island Re-surveys
Some years ago reports on surveys of seabird breeding sites where published as a series in the journal Corella. Compiled between the late 1960s to early 1980s, these are often the only information available on many of Australia’s offshore islands. With impacts such as invasion of the adjacent coastal areas by weed species in the last few decades and the gradual impact of climate change, it is timely for many islands to be revisited. In 2008 the ASG began re-surveying the offshore islands near NSW, and it is planned that this will be extended to other States.
ASG members that have the relevant experience are given first preference on any trip, however surveys are open to all Birds Australia members. Experience in biodiversity surveys, in-hand seabird identification and a good fitness level are preferred.
Beach Patrol Project
The Birds Australia Beach Patrol scheme has used regular patrols of our coastline for beachcast seabirds in an effort to discover what is happening to the populations of seabirds in the Australasian area and the Southern Ocean, as well as improving knowledge of their seasonal movements and causes of mortality. The aims and methodology of this project include monitoring oceanic pollution by oil spills and plastic debris, improving knowledge on the distribution of seabirds in Australasian seas and encouraging member’s skills and interest in seabird identification.
Seabird Feather Bank Project
 The Australasian Seabird Group (ASG) in conjunction with State Museum institutions is running a national program for the collection of seabird material for studies into seabird biology. The concept is for the Feather Bank to provide a long-term collection point of seabird feathers that will be available as vouchers for species occurrence, assessment of moult as well as destructive tissue sampling for DNA (other molecular techniques), stable isotopes and hormone stress analysis. These studies can reveal environment conditions during the long seabird migration, when the feathers are grown. A long-term collection of material would importantly reveal changes over time for particular species. In addition, some of these studies may require large samples from one given period which is usually not available at the museums. The collection of wings, easily prepared and stored, will be able to meet this growing area of science enquiry and provide a positive action for those interested in walking beaches and recording their discoveries of beach-washed seabirds.
Interested people need to be registered by the ASG to collect specimens as seabirds form protected species in all States. To become registered you will need to contact the Feather Bank representative for each state. Currently there are two States with permits and depositing arrangements from their respective State Museums. The ASG Feather Bank representatives are Andre Chiaradia (
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) for Victoria and Nicholas Carlile (
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) for New South Wales. Guidelines are available on what material is being sort and how to prepare wings for lodgement with the museums and a reporting mechanism is in place to prevent over collection of material from large and widespread wrecks of single species. Quarterly reports will be prepared for the ASG e-bulletin listing the species collected and the participants involved.
 Conservation
There are many serious problems facing seabirds today. One of the most urgent of these is the catastrophic decline of some albatross and petrel populations in the Southern Ocean, as a direct result of mortality from the interactions with commercial fisheries, particularly those using longline and trawl gear. Some breeding populations, and possibly entire species, face extinction within a few years if nothing is done to prevent birds being killed or injured through these interactions. The ASG works with Governments and fishers to encourage the adoption of appropriate mitigation measures routinely in fishing operations, and to carry out risk-assessment of fishing activities on seabird populations in fisheries where bycatch is problematic.
Other problems for seabirds include marine pollution, human persecution and disturbance, and the introduction of feral predators to breeding islands. A more long-term concern is the impact global climate change may have on the numbers and distribution of seabird prey species. One of the most important tasks facing the ASG is increasing awareness of such threats within governments and the community.
Many seabirds are threatened on the open seas, outside the jurisdiction or capability of national governments to protect them. Seabirds require global cooperation between governments and NGOs to help protect them.
Publications
 Seabird AtlasThe Seabird Atlas of South-eastern Australian Waters was published in 2002. Australia's first seabird atlas is based on over 42,000 records of 80 species collected on more than 70 oceanic cruises. It covers about 90% of the area off the coasts of south-eastern South Australia, southern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as far as 49 degrees South. The data is presented graphically as maps of relative abundance in one-degree blocks, and also in terms of seasonal distribution. The associated database forms an invaluable resource for future comparisons, in order to determine trends in seabird distribution and numbers. It will also serve as a model for similar atlases covering other seas and coasts in the Region.
Journal of Marine OrnithologyThe ASG, along with the Pacific Seabird Group, the African Seabird Group and the Dutch Seabird Group publishes a scientific journal on the research and management of seabirds. Marine Ornithology has become an important contribution to our knowledge of the world's seabirds.
The ASG Bulletin
Since 1993 ASG has been publishing the Australasian Seabird Group Bulletin twice a year. The ASG Bulletin contains behavioural observations, reviews, long articles and short notes, sightings of rarities and identification tips, surveys of islands and shipping routes, as well as much editorial material. From Issue 52 in November 2010 it was replaced by an eBulletin with approximately quarterly issues.Back issues are available for $11AUD each, including postage.
Symposiums
At the 6th Australasian Ornithological Conference, September 28th to October 1st 2011, the ASG organised two symposia, Seabirds at sea- foraging ecology and Seabirds: Threats and Conservation with 11 papers presented. A further five papers were presented under Seabirds and climate change. A further three papers were sprinkled in other symposia. These were among the 109 papers and posters that made up the conference at James Cook University, Cairns Queensland. The conference was organised by Birds Australia, The Ornithological Society of New Zealand and the University. The next conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2013. Download a copy of the program and abstracts (2 mb).
Almost 800 participants, with more than 40 countries represented, converged on the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Canada in early September for the 1st World Seabird Conference. Over four intensive days and nights 700 scientific presentations were made, a plethora of workshops were held on issues as wide ranging as impacts of long-lining fishing, marine debris and establishment of tracking/island monitoring databases. Underlying much of this were legacy workshops intending to forge a coalition of seabird groups from around the world into a World Seabird Union (formal name as yet undecided). Download abstracts for the invited papers , the contributed papers , poster sessions one and two. Many papers delivered at the conference were on the cutting edge work being done by Australian and New Zealand seabird researchers, managers and advocates.
A symposium devoted to the biology and management of Australian Gulls and Terns was held on Phillip Island in Victoria on 1 May 2010. Download a copy of the abstracts.
25th International Ornithological Conference, Brazil Aug 2010 abstracts
7th International Penguin Conference, Boston Sep 2010 abstracts
 Join ASG
ASG membership is open to anyone interested in the conservation and research of seabirds in the Australasian and Antarctic regions and adjacent oceans. Membership entitles you to receive the ASG Bulletin and priority selection on island re-survey teams.
By becoming a member you are contributing to the conservation of global biodiversity and our natural environment. Download this form to join now.
Donations
Donations of time, effort and money are vitally important to our research program. All monetary donations over $2AUD are tax-deductible when paid through Birds Australia. All office-bearers of the ASG are unpaid, and our community survey projects are carried out by volunteers.
Contacts
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, Secretary
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, Bulletin Editor
Executive Committee
Barry Baker (Convenor), Matt Rayner (Treasurer), Nicholas Carlile (Secretary), Andre Chiaradia (Bulletin Editor), David Nicholls (Beach Patrol Convenor - Australia), Mark Carey (student rep), Ashley Bunce, Nick Dunlop, Kees Hulsman, Susan Waugh-Filippi, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Eric Woehler, David Priddel and Peter Dann.
 Useful Seabird Links
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels
Australian Marine Conservation Society Sustainable Seafood Guide
Birdlife International Global Seabird Program
British Antarctic Survey loggers
Corella
Directory of Australasian Pelagic Seabird Trips
Lotek Fish and Wildlife Monitoring
Marine Ornithology
Microwave Telemetry
Notornis: Ornithology of the South Pacific
Ornithological Society Of New Zealand
Sirtrack Wildlife Tracking Solutions
Southern Oceans Seabird Study Assoc (SOSSA)
World Seabird Union
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