Cape Town Pelagics - Seabird
Conservation in South Africa
Cape Town Pelagics is run on a non-profit
basis and over the last 8 years, we've donated over R 60,000.00
to Albatross research and conservation. One of the projects
we've supported recently has been Birdlife International's
Save the Albatross Campaign, of which the Albatross Task
force is a part.
We're glad that through our pelagic trips we've been able
to play our small role in helping to save Albatrosses, not
only by direct donations, but also by raising awareness
(for example for the Leap
School Bird Club) and providing an opportunity for people
to see Albatrosses and becoming inspired for conservation.
We also take out Albatross researchers for free on research
trips.
Save
the Albatross Campaign is one of the projects to which
Cape Town Pelagics has donated all it's annual profits to.
Sign up for the campaign's newsletters!
The
Leap School Bird Club outing
We donated spaces to members
of the LEAP School
Bird Club, giving them a chance to see seabirds such as
Albatross. Pictures will be posted shortly.
More information
on seabird conservation in Southern Africa
South African seabirds are threathened
most notably by long-line fishing operations and oil spills.
For more information on seabirds and conservation efforts,
we strongly recommend a visit to the Animal
Demography Unit's and their seabird
resources pages. This excellent site offers resources
on numerous pelagic and coastal
seabird subjects.
Agreement for the conservation of albatrosses and petrels
(ACAP)
Albatrosses are the bird family with perhaps the highest
proportion of threatened species. Of the 21 species currently
recognised, 20 are listed as threatened or near-threatened
in the global red data list. The accidental capture of albatrosses,
and petrels, by longline fisheries is the most significant
single threat to albatross populations.
The ACAP
agreement has been ratified by most of the countries who's
activities or territorial waters overlap with the ranges
of endangered procellariiform seabirds. As of June 2007,
the total country ratification is at 11. ACAP is a
multilateral agreement which promotes the conservation of
albatrosses and petrels by coordinating international activities
to mitigate threats to albatrosses and petrels.