South Georgia Newsletter, May 2011

From South Georgia Website

- Disclaimer: This newsletter is not produced by GSGSSI; it does not necessarily reflect their views.

Wildlife And Protected Areas Ordinance Signed

GSGSSI has announced the signing of the Wildlife and Protected Areas Ordinance (2011). The Ordinance will replace legislation which is in some instances nearly 100 years old, and provides for the protection of wildlife and habitats on land and at sea.

Before signing the Commissioner said: “This is a major step forward in protecting the Island’s native wildlife and habitats, and demonstrates our commitment to the continued good governance and responsible stewardship of the Territory. The Wildlife and Protected Areas Ordinance addresses some of the most pressing issues that the Government faces in a rapidly changing world.”

The waters around South Georgia are rapidly warming. The Island is a biodiversity hotspot and home to globally threatened species. For instance 11 of SG’s 31 species of breeding birds are considered to be threatened or near-threatened species by the World Conservation Union and the islands are home to 7 of the 29 species of ACAP listed albatross and petrels.

The ordinance puts measures in place to protect against invasive non-native species and bolsters existing policies which have made great strides in preventing non-native species being released into the environment.

The new legislation includes: protection for native species and habitats, prohibition of inhumane methods of capturing or killing animals, prohibition of possession or transport of live or dead wildlife and powers to designate and manage Specially Protected Species and Habitats, Specially Protected Areas and Marine Protected Areas.

A challenge when developing the new legislation was to come up with laws that would allow GSGSSI to maintain access to the Territory for visitors without threatening South Georgia and the South Sandwich Island’s precious environments. Part of the process was conducting stakeholder consultation with users of the Island and other interested and informed parties. The Commissioner thanked David Lang QC for help in drafting the Ordinance.

Clare Stringer, International Officer for Overseas Territories for The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, congratulated GSGSSI for making the development of nature protection legislation a high priority and said: "South Georgia holds some of the most amazing wildlife on UK Territory....Implementing this new ordinance will support the continued restoration and protection of its superb natural values, and we hope other Overseas Territories will follow this example."

The legislative drafting has not finished and will be quickly followed by subsidiary legislation to declare the first Specially Protected and Marine Protected areas in the Territory.

Dr Martin Collins, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Fisheries said: “Though large areas around South Georgia are already protected by fisheries policies, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important and effective tool in our management of the marine environment, enabling the conservation of marine biodiversity and the maintenance of regional productivity. Although large areas around South Georgia are already protected by our fisheries policies, none of this protection is enshrined in law. The ability to declare MPAs will afford the unique marine environment of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands considerably greater protection.”

Commissioner Nigel Haywood signed the ordinance on May 31st with other GSGSSI officers and Falkland Islands press in attendance.

The full press release can be downloaded here.

South Georgia Beats Galapagos For Biodiversity

The first comprehensive study of sea creatures around South Georgia has revealed a region that is richer in biodiversity than many tropical sites such as the Galapagos Islands. The study provides an important benchmark to monitor how these species will respond to future environmental change.

In a report published in May in the online journal PLoSONE a team from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), funded by the British Government’s Darwin Initiative and the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT), describe how they examined over 130 years of polar records. About 1500 species were recorded, showing South Georgia and its surrounding islands to be the richest area for marine life in the Southern Ocean.

Specimens were collected from scientific cruises, fisheries vessels and by scuba divers. Species identified include sea urchins, free-swimming worms, fish, sea spiders and crustaceans. Most are rare and many occur nowhere else on Earth.

Lead author Oliver Hogg from BAS said: “The biodiversity of South Georgia exceeds that of its nearest rivals such as the Galapagos and Equador in terms of the number of species inhabiting its shores. During the breeding season it hosts the densest mass of marine mammals on Earth.”

The near-surface waters around South Georgia are some of the fastest warming on Earth. Between 1925 and 2006 surface waters around the Island have seen a mean increase of 0.9°C in January and 2.3°C in August, though much less of a warming at 200m. These warming levels are much greater than reported elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. The study provides a framework to identify ecologically sensitive areas and species, identify conservation priorities and monitor future changes.

Oliver said: “This is the first time anybody has mapped out the biodiversity of a small polar archipelago in the Southern Ocean. If we are to understand how these animals will respond to future change, a starting point like this is really important.”

The research involved the study of over 25,000 records from polar explorations dating back to Victorian times. Some 1445 species were recorded from 17,000 specimens studied.

The report 'Highly diverse, poorly studied and uniquely threatened by climate change: an assessment of marine biodiversity on South Georgia’s continental shelf ' written by Oliver T Hogg, David K. A Barnes and Huw J. Griffiths, was published online in PloSONE and can be read here.

Two New Royal Themed Coins

Pobjoy Mint have recently released two new coins on behalf of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. One marks the Royal Wedding between His Royal Highness Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton and the other celebrates a 'Lifetime of Service' by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip.

The 'Royal Wedding' coin celebrating the marriage of William and Catherine on April 29th carries Prince William’s coat of arms, given to Prince William on his eighteenth birthday, derived from the coat of arms of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To distinguish Prince William’s coat of arms from those of his father, Prince Charles, and his brother Prince Harry, there are varying points from the white label around the shield and the necks of the lion and unicorn with small red sea-shells shown on the points. The sea-shells were developed from the Spencer coat of arms, Princess Diana’s family.

The 'Lifetime of Service' coin commemorates the long reign by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip. It features a portrait of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and is part of a series of five special coins to commemorate their 'Lifetime of Service'; the others have been released on behalf of Ascension Island, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands and the Isle of Man.

The year 2011 celebrates not only the 85th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II but also the 90th Birthday of Prince Philip. The couple married on November 20th 1947 at Westminster Abbey. 2012 will see the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II which commemorates sixty years as Monarch. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey on June 2nd 1953 and during her reign she has seen twelve Prime Ministers, six Archbishops, five Popes and five wars and conflicts. She has attended 256 official overseas visits to over 129 different countries and she is the first British monarch to visit China. She witnessed the space landings in 1969 and has seen the rise of the digital age – television, mobile communication and internet.

Both coins have been approved by Buckingham Palace and the obverse bear a fine effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS. The coins are produced in Proof Sterling Silver and Uncirculated Cupro Nickel. The coins can be bought direct from Pobjoy Mint, Royal Wedding here and Lifetime of Service here.

Invasive Species Monitoring Of South Georgia

A report on invasive species in the marine environment has been prepared for GSGSSI following work by the ten volunteers who formed the Shallow Marine Surveys Group (SMSG) working around South Georgia last summer. The progress report “Invasive Species monitoring of South Georgia” prepared by Dr Paul Brewin and Dr Paul Brickle states that South Georgia is geologically old and geographically remote, therefore theoretically, may be high in endemics. Given the increasing fishing and tourism activity on the Island, there is a parallel risk of invasive species entering the system with the potential of deleterious impacts on marine benthic biodiversity.

The team initiated an invasive species monitoring programme surveying subtidal habitats between 5 and 18 metres depth, and intertidal habitats surrounding Grytviken and KEP, compiling comprehensive baseline data essential for detecting and monitoring species invasions. Despite concerns that there may already have been introductions of invasive species, SMSG did not detect any at any site. One Mytilus species that had been previously reported at Grytviken was not found during the survey.

Settlement plates were deployed at 3 sites for detecting invasive species recruitment. These will be collected after a year during a future proposed South Georgia expedition.

The 'Invasive Species Monitoring of South Georgia' progress report can be downloaded here.

GSGSSI Addresses Tour Operators

Richard McKee gave the annual GSGSSI presentation to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) members at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the organisation in Hobart, Tasmania, in May. The address covered a general overview of, and recent issues arising from, the preceding tourist season.

Cruise ship visits to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands declined during the 2010/11 season from 63 to 46 visits when compared with the previous season. This was a slightly greater reduction than had been anticipated following the global financial downturn and reorganisation of vessel operations in the region and was due in part to a succession of visit cancellations for various operational reasons.

IAATO members were briefed on the successful progress of Phase 1 of the SGHT's Habitat Restoration Project and the role of GSGSSI in support of this project. IAATO members who assisted both the SGHT and GSGSSI last season were thanked - in particular 'One Ocean Expeditions' who carried the two helicopters to South Georgia for SGHT. GSGSSI will shortly be establishing a working group which will involve IAATO, to review future tourism operations and biosecurity protocols on South Georgia in view of the increasing areas of the island which are becoming designated as rat free.

Other habitat restoration and environmental issues were also discussed including the ongoing efforts to eradicate bittercress and the future removal of the reindeer herds as well as the recent re-emergence of avian cholera within the Cooper Bay chinstrap penguins. The industry was also updated about recent marine baseline surveys of the benthic environment and vessel operators were encouraged to support and assist whenever possible with this project.

Last season there were several visitor compliance issues and these were discussed. These included visitors entering a prohibited area at the Stromness whaling station, an inappropriate wildlife interaction and the removal (without permit) of a significant number of fur seal teeth and other bones by one individual. Lessons to be learned were identified and recommendations to prevent any re-occurrence were addressed. GSGSSI will continue to work closely with IAATO to manage visitor landings and the importance of this constructive relationship between the industry and GSGSSI was highlighted again and reinforced. IAATO members were also reminded that when the Wildlife and Protected Areas Ordinance comes into force, visitors committing offences under the law should expect to face prosecution.

The recent survey of the whaling stations (undertaken in November 2010) was discussed and the fact that it is essential that the current management regime and prohibited areas designation for the sites remains in force, given the deteriorating condition of the structures and continuing risk of exposure to airborne asbestos. IAATO members were also encouraged to participate in the South Georgia Industrial Heritage Conference in Dundee from September 7-9th 2011.

The GSGSSI presentation concluded with updates to members about ongoing works projects, including the refurbishment of the Drukken Villa for museum staff and improvements to the Government's major incident stores and response capability at King Edward Point.

The meeting was also a valuable opportunity for the cruise ship and yacht operators to engage directly with Richard McKee, the GSGSSI Executive Officer, and raise any queries and discuss policy issues. GSGSSI thanked the IAATO Executive for the opportunity to address members at the organisation's annual meeting, as well as for the assistance offered to GSGSSI over the preceding season and the professional and constructive manner in which issues arising were addressed.

The full text of the GSGSSI presentation to IAATO 2011 can be downloaded here [pdf, 0.1mb].

SGHT Celebrates Rat Eradication Successes

By Ruth Fraser, SGHT Communications Manager

The South Georgia Heritage Trust held a special press event on Wednesday May 4th at the Academy of Medical Sciences in London, UK. The event marked the return of the Habitat Restoration team from South Georgia and celebrated the completion of the first phase of the SGHT Habitat Restoration project.

Professor Tony Martin successfully led a team of eleven experts in March of this year in dropping bait over 12,500 hectares of the Thatcher, Greene and Mercer Peninsula to clear invasive rats that populate large areas of South Georgia. The Trust were pleased to announce that this first phase alone was the largest eradication of its kind ever undertaken and that the signs are good for its success with no sign of rats in the areas cleared.

All those involved in the Project were invited to join in this celebratory event including members of the field team, representatives of the Government of South Georgia, British Antarctic Survey and the staff and Trustees of SGHT. The Trust was keen to acknowledge the support and assistance from many of the individuals and organisations who had contributed to this first phase of their ambitious Project.

Presentations were given by members of the Trust who restated the Trust’s objective to clear all infested areas by the target date of 2015, if the fundraising targets were met to allow the work to be completed.

Macquarie Island Pest Eradication – Trying Again

Nine months after leaving Macquarie Island with the aerial baiting phase of the pest eradication project uncompleted due to persistent poor weather, the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Team has returned to the sub-Antarctic island for a further attempt.

The vessel “Aurora Australis” left Hobart, Tasmania, on April 19th with the eradication team, including 12 dogs, on board. The team arrived a month earlier than last year in the hope that it will give them a chance of getting the better weather they need for the aerial baiting. Bait and helicopter fuel were soon unloaded at three locations around the island.

The returning team has noticed a dramatic success in reducing rabbit numbers following the release of rabbit calici virus in February this year. Project Manager Keith Springer wrote: “The virus was intended as a measure to try to reduce the incidence of non-target mortality sustained by scavenging birds when they ate toxic carcasses or rabbits and rodents. Very few rabbits are now to be seen on the island and as well as hopefully reducing the deaths of native bird species after baiting, the reduction has also meant fewer rabbits to poison in the aerial baiting operation. Although viruses such as the calici virus are rarely an eradication method on their own (young rabbits are not susceptible to the virus), their use can be an important component of an eradication campaign, especially when used for a specific purpose as in this instance.”

Baiting started at the northern tip of the island in the early days of May. On May 13th Keith wrote: “The eradication team swung into action immediately and have already surpassed expectations for the poison bait drop. By May 12th 72% of the island had been covered with bait for the first of two drops. The weather has been kind and the team has managed to work most days, even if it is for only a few hours, when the mist has cleared or the wind has dropped.”

By May 26th 100% bait coverage of Macquarie had been achieved.

You can follow the eradication team's blog here.

Fishing And Shipping News

Six toothfish longliners licensed to fish in the 2011 toothfish season were fishing during May. The final vessel to be inspected and licensed before joining the fishery was “Antarctic Bay” which arrived in Cumberland Bay on May 8th. Government Observer Andy Black joined the vessel.

Two vessels, “Argos Georgia” and “San Aspiring”, conducted some experimental fishing in the West Shag and West Gully Restricted Impact Areas. These areas are normally closed to fishing to protect benthic habitats and spawning toothfish. Closely observed research fishing and extra tagging is necessary to monitor the effects of closure.

The charter yacht “Australis” left the Island for the Falklands on May 2nd. The only remaining visiting yacht, the private vessel “Girafa”, made an unusually late departure on May 12th having waited weeks for a good weather window. Yacht owner Lee Han plans to sail direct to Europe without stopping en route.

KEP's Joint Premiere Of Captain Scott Film

The base at KEP held a simultaneous opening premiere of the newly restored 'The Great White Silence' with the British Film Institute (BFI). 'The Great White Silence' is Herbert Ponting's film of Captain Scott's fateful last expedition. The new version includes previously unpublished footage filmed by Ponting on Scott's “Terra Nova” expedition.

When base member Alastair Wilson, great great nephew of Scott's expedition doctor Dr Edward Wilson, heard about the planned UK premiere, he contacted the BFI to ask if KEP could have an Antarctic premiere on the same night. The Institute agreed and sent the film down electronically with the condition that it was given a "formal premiere” concurrent with the UK release. Alastair was: “Rather pleased that we managed to get the film.” and Base Commander Rob Webster described it as: “An amazing piece of work! Quite moving really, the tone of the early footage of wildlife and life on board the ship being in stark contrast to the relatively sparse footage intertwined with stills taken towards or just after the tragic end of the expedition.”

Pictures and quotes from the KEP premiere were sent to the BFI who may use them in publicity materials.

Bird Island Diary

By Mick Mackey, Base Commander at the British Antarctic Survey Research Station at Bird Island.

Life on Bird Island was made a little more interesting with the onset of an unforeseen blizzard which hit us smack-bang in the middle of the monthly wanderer chick survey. The strength of the blizzard was such that it caused a cessation of the survey until the following day when conditions allowed us to walk in an upright position. Storms like these give you some level of appreciation of what rigours the chicks must overcome even before they leave the safety of their solid, egg-cup nests.

The wanderer blizzard was just a taste of what was to come for the four winter residents, for just a few days later, on May 5th, the island was hit by a huge swell from the south-southwest direction. The base itself is well protected within Jordan Cove from swells of most magnitudes from most directions. However, only a stone’s throw from the base is the Special Study Beach (SSB) platform from which the lion’s share of the island’s fur seal summer research is conducted. This scaffolding platform is no stranger to poor weather conditions and is frequently exposed to mother nature’s wrath. Unfortunately, it was no match for the ceaseless battering it experienced from that Southern Ocean onslaught. From a safe position on the cliffs above SSB, we witnessed, and photographed, the partial destruction of the SSB platform that had only been refurbished weeks before. Plans are afoot to reconstruct the platform at the end of next summer. This summer’s research plan may be severely impacted.

Although the weather conditions on the island have been relatively mild, we have been lucky enough to encounter this winter’s first leopard seals. The first individual, a male christened Paddy Boy, was observed on Main Bay on May 7th – a good five to six weeks earlier than last year’s first encounter. During the following weeks we have had the pleasure of five different leops, which can be identified by the characteristic patterns on the luxuriously smooth pellage. Dietary analysis of their scats indicate that our winter visitors have been dining on gentoo penguins and young fur seals, which are in no short supply on Bird Island. Geo-locator tags have been deployed on two of the animals so that some idea of their annual offshore movements can be obtained.

In other biological news, the black-browed albatross chicks continue to fledge, while the grey-headed albatross chicks have also started to flee their nests for an oceanic lifestyle. Not all chicks are successful in their quest to reach the sea however, and those that don’t quite make it keep the island’s skua, giant petrel and snowy sheathbill populations in drumsticks during these lean early-winter months.

South Georgia Snippets

At the beginning of May, the seeming success of the first phase of the SGHT Habitat Restoration Project was well covered in the major media in the UK and further abroad. A piece on the BBC news website on May 5th had a long feature on the project with buttons to click to hear with audio interviews with Project Director Professor Tony Martin and Dr Mike Richardson. You can find the article here.

Monitoring for any rat activity in baited areas continues on the Island. Rat traps and bait stations continue to be checked, with no sign of rat activity, and no rat tracks have been seen in the snow around KEP and Grytviken.

Large winter flocks of pintail ducks are testament to the fact that though some succumbed to the bait, plenty have survived and it is hoped that numbers will rapidly recover..

A very low pressure system over the Island saw the pressure drop to 938mb causing a very high tide which flooded the KEP jetty. This highlighted the potential problem of the harbour launches hulls getting damaged if they got caught on the jetty lip, so works were started soon after to construct a 'wharf fence' which should keep the boats safely away.

The KEP team had a huge success in the “Race to Antarctica” (see last month's 'Snippets'), winning the race by almost 2000km!

As usual sightings of leopard seals are more common in the winter months and two were seen around KE Cove during May .

Checking on the progress of this year's chicks at the small king penguin colony at Penguin River makes a good excuse for a couple of hours walk from KEP. Five chicks have survived so far - there were six a while ago but as the parent birds tend to lay on a small island in the middle of the river it a bit precarious, especially for very young chicks, if the river floods. At least one chick is known to have been washed away after heavy rain.

Pipits continue to be regularly spotted in the area by the walkers.

May brought wintry weather on and off, though frustrations of those wanting to use winter sports equipment continue as the snow has not yet accumulated to any decent depth. What little there has been was well used and you can share in the thrills and spills of the winter sledging action at Grytviken which includes film that takes you right on board the speeding sledges as it was shot using a head-cam.

Join Ali, Katie, the two Matts, Sue and Robert on the slopes. None of the sledgers were harmed (much) in the making of this film.

One very cold snap caused the cove and lakes to freeze over, with some ice reaching 10cm thickness. One fascinating photograph shows an interesting effect when a near perfect circle of ice was slowly spinning with the gentle wave action of the water under the ice in a larger pool - as it span it bumped into the edges keeping it's little circular pool open.

Stunning lenticular cloud formations towards the end of the month were also captured on camera over a 24 hour period. The following series of images show the clouds at sunset, at night, just pre-dawn, at sunrise, at midday and in the afternoon.

Dates for your Diary:

Deep South Exhibition. The Deep South art exhibition, which features work by seven artists with Antarctic connections, is now on at The Stables Gallery, Twickenham, UK, until July 3rd. Entry is free and the artists will make a donation to the SGHT from the proceeds of this exhibition.

SGHT Industrial Heritage Conference. The SGHT is holding a two day conference in association with TICCIH and the SGA. It will take place between September 7 - 9th at Verdant Works, Discovery Point, Dundee, Scotland. You can register for the conference online now via the SGHT website http://www.sght.org

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