Sooty Shearwater Restoration Project

During the M/T Command oil spill response, one of the 12 shearwaters collected had been banded on Whenoua Hou Island, New Zealand. In fact, the majority of Sooty Shearwaters found off the coast of California migrate from New Zealand breeding colonies. The sooty shearwater is the most abundant seabird off central California from May to September, and their dispersion near offshore shipping lanes makes them particularly vulnerable to oil pollution.

The Sooty Shearwater Restoration Project will protect and enhance their nesting habitat by eradicating non-native rats from breeding areas on nesting grounds in New Zealand. The rats, believed to have been brought to the islands in the 1960s by fishing boats, have devastating the island's flora and fauna, including sooty shearwaters.

The three main objectives of this project were to:

• Eliminate rodents from four shearwater breeding islands, thereby eliminating egg and chick predation;
• Establish quarantine contingencies to prevent reintroduction of rats to restored island colonies; and
• Monitor restoration progress and project effectiveness.

In 2004, the trustees selected the US non-profit organization Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge to manage the Sooty Shearwater Project. Throughout 2004 and 2005, Oikonos began planning for the eradication of rats on the Big South Cape Islands group (Taukihepa, Pukeweka, and Rerewhakaupoko Islands) and Mokonui Island off Stewart Island (Rakiura), New Zealand. The group compled New Zealand’s permitting process, prepated environmental consents, drafted operational planning and quarantine documents, conducted pre-eradication surveys and monitoring, and appointed quarantine officers.

Initial monitoring studies revealed that, in addition to rats, wekas (large, flightless rails endemic to New Zealand, but which did not historically occur on the four target islands) were also depredating sooty shearwater chicks. The removal of this species will likely contribute to even greater long-term benefits to Sooty Shearwaters and the island ecosystem than removal of rats alone.

During 2005, Oikonos also developed a variety of public education and outreach materials using the Rakiura Tïtï – Sooty Shearwater Restoration Project as an example to promote understanding of migratory species, threats, and solutions to seabird conservation. Members of Oikonos presented several public lectures and classroom visits to audiences in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Cambria, CA. Real-time satellite tracking of shearwaters was used as a novel approach to bring a web-based audience into understanding the migratory nature and conservation issues related to this species. Oikonos and Ka Mate Nga Kiore Society also sought funds to develop an educational video about Rakiura Tïtï – Sooty Shearwater Restoration Project. This project illustrates a real-world example of international and multi-faceted approach to conservation of a highly migratory seabird.

In July 2006, the project was completed, successfully eradicating non-native rats from four islands in southern New Zealand. Project leaders with experience from other islands say they must monitor for several years to be confident that the rats are all gone. As part of the project, quarantine plans are now being developed to protect the islands from a potential re-invasion of rodents.

Project partners included Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, the Rakiura Maori (New Zealand's southern most indigenous people), and the Ka Mate Nga Kiore Society. Technical support was provided by the University of Otago Kia Mau Te Titi Mo Ake Tonu Atu research team and eradication specialists from the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Project member Robert Coote, of the New Zealand Department of Conservation, said, "It is marvellous to see a great deal of collaboration and planning between the native community, Oikonos, and the Department of Conservation come to fruition.”As for California: we can hope to see more of the shearwaters off our coast."