Application for Scientific Permit – Available for Public Comment
Public comment on the following application for a Scientific Research (Fauna) Permit is open until 14 July.
Applicant: Private Individual
Species/Taxon: Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur), Common Diving-petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix), White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina)
Location:
Maatsyker Island - Tenure Class: National Park
Tasman Island - Tenure Class: National Park
St Helen's Island - Tenure Class: Conservation Area
George Rocks - Tenure Class: Nature Reserve
Albatross Island - Tenure Class: Nature Reserve
Chalky Island - Tenure Class: Conservation Area
Title of research: Soundscapes on seabird islands
Aim of project: To establish a baseline for acoustic monitoring as a tool for benchmarking and tracking change in seabird populations over time.
Justification:
The project will involve work on several Tasmanian islands designated as national park, nature reserves or conservation areas. These islands support internationally important numbers of several seabird species. The status of these populations is virtually unknown. The main previous attempt to estimate their sizes was reported in the excellent compendium “Tasmania's offshore islands: seabirds and other natural features” published by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in 2001. It compiles data collected by state government biologists primarily in the 1980s but spanning 1978-2000. The baseline has never been revisited on most islands with most populations surveyed just once. Nothing is known of the trends, current size, or interactions of these populations with the marine environment, or the threats impacting them.
The project will provide a baseline of acoustic activity for important, understudied seabird populations. Conventional monitoring is difficult for the suite of burrow-nesting species which nest on remote islands, occur seasonally and are only active at colonies at night. For these vocal nocturnal species passive acoustic monitoring offers a proven tool for long-term monitoring. However, it requires an understanding of species’ vocal repertoires, and knowledge of seasonal and diel calling rates to optimise the timing and duration of survey deployments. The data obtained will establish a foundation for long-term monitoring in partnership with civil society island conservation groups.
Seabirds are integral to marine foodwebs but are at risk from anthropogenic threats: energy development, commercial fisheries, aquaculture and climate change. Acoustic monitoring offers a particularly effective tool for detecting significant changes in large seabird colonies which have knock-on implications for ecosystem functioning. This project will improve understanding of the ecology of several seabird species, paving the way for future learnings about the interactions between seabirds and Tasmania’s marine environment.
Maximum likely numbers of individuals involved:
Not applicable – acoustic monitors are a passive non-invasive tool. No individuals will be trapped/handled.
Activities undertaken and methods:
Deployment of acoustic monitors adjacent to known seabird colonies. Monitors will be left in place for several nights up to several months to establish seasonal variation in acoustic activity at seabird colonies.
Fate of animals:
Not applicable – no physical interaction with individuals.
Likely impact on species involved (including any by-catch):
No direct impact but huge potential for a passive positive impact for conservation by providing a non-invasive monitoring method for a suite of poorly known, under-studied sentinel species which are key to island and marine ecosystem nutrient cycling and trophic interactions.