Australasian Seabird Group (ASG)

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 Australiasia. The Group pursues its objectives through the co-ordination of the beach patrol project, publication of the bulletin and other seabird material (Seabird Atlas, Journal of Marine Ornithology), organisation of symposia of issues affecting seabirds and presents expert opinion on the management and conservation of seabird populations in Australasia.

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 Australasian seas and the Southern Ocean, as well as of their seasonal movements and causes of mortality.  The aims and methodology of this project are under review; there is the potential for beach patrollers to monitor oceanic pollution by oil spills and plastic debris, as well as compiling indices of seabird mortality.

Seabird Atlas

The Atlas of Southeast Australian Seabirds has being published recently.  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 are 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 also serves as a model for similar atlases covering other seas and coasts in the Region.

Conservation

There are many serious problems facing seabirds today.  One of the most urgent of these is the catastrophic decline of some albatross populations in the Southern Ocean as a direct result of mortality from the Southern Bluefin Tuna longline fishery.  Some breeding populations, and possibly entire species, face extinction within a few years if nothing is done to prevent birds being hooked and drowned on the tuna longlines.

Other problems include marine pollution, human persecution and disturbance, and the introduction of feral predators to breeding islands.  A more long-term concern is that global climate change may affect the numbers and distribution of prey.  One of the most important tasks of the new ASG will be to make governments and the community aware of such threats and to recommend ways of dealing with them.

Many seabirds are threatened on the open seas, outside the jurisdiction or capability of national governments to protect them.  Seabirds form a group that requires global cooperation between governments and NGOs to conserve them.

Journal of Marine Ornithology

The 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. Known as "Marine Ornithology", this journal has grown to 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 along shipping routes, as well as much editorial material. References to the ASG Newsletter in the first volume of the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) pay tribute to the wealth of original data garnered by Group members. Some numbers of the ASG Bulletin are available as back issues. Costs (subject to review), including postage, are A$11 each.

Join ASG

Membership of the ASG is open to anyone interested in the conservation and research of seabirds in the Australasian and Antarctic regions and adjacent oceans. Your membership entitles you to receive the ASG Newsletter.

By becoming a member of the ASG you are contributing to the conservation of global biodiversity and our natural environment.

Subscriptions (Australia and New Zealand only):

Subscription/membership enquiries: membership@birdsaustralia.com.au

Donations

Donations of time, effort and money are vitally important for our research program.  All monetary donations of over A$2.00 are tax-deductible when paid through the Birds Australia Research Fund.  All officers of the ASG are unpaid, and our community survey projects are carried out by volunteers.  Your participation in our Beach Patrol Project is encouraged.

Honorary Executive Committee

Peter Dann (Convenor), Heather Gibbs (Treasurer), Ashley Bunce (Newsletter Editor), André Chiaradia (Secretary), David Nicholls (Beach Patrol Convenor - Australia), Neil Cheshire, David Eades, Kees Hulsman, Kerry-Jayne Wilson, Eric Woehler.