Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p87
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 87/152)
Character Range: 280220–283225

sites being used less now than previously (O'Brien et al. 2010). Only two Victorian locations (Gippsland Lakes and Mud Islands) that have been recently used for breeding. Reasons for this shift are not understood there appears to have been a shift in breeding from French Island in Western Port to Mud Islands in Port Phillip Bay.

Conservation Concerns and Actions
Pelicans occasionally become entangled in discarded fishing line. Australian Pelicans are vulnerable to disturbance at all Victorian breeding sites (O'Brien et al. 2010). Human disturbance can cause nesting adults to leave their nest, exposing their eggs and young to predators and harsh weather. It is possible that, in the future, the effects of climate change could have an adverse impact on food sources and breeding habitat.

Recommended Management Actions
        Quantify the breeding population in Australia

        Regularly monitor breeding populations at index locations

        Measure contaminant levels in all relevant life stages

      Quantify and manage the potential impacts of fisheries interactions and human disturbance

Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds 121
 Species profiles

 Brown Skua (Catharacta antarctica)

 Life History and Distribution
The Brown Skua (Stercocorarius antarcticus, also known as Catharacta antarctica) is a large, thickset gull-like seabird with rather broad pointed wings, short, slightly wedge-sharped tail. The species is found on the Antarctic Peninsula and on the subantarctic islands of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans including Australia's Heard and Macquarie Island, wintering near nesting islands (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Breeding begins in September to November depending on location. Birds are loosely colonial but highly territorial, nesting on grass, gravel or bare rock (del Hoyo et al. 1996). The species is highly predatory, feeding mainly on other birds but will also scavenge around fishing boats and ships and feed at sea.

 Population Estimates and Trends
The total population has been estimated to be 13,000-14,000 pairs (del Hoyo et al. 1996) and is assumed to equate to 26,000-28,000 mature individuals.
The Australian population estimate is unknown. On Macquarie Island, approximately 30 per cent of the island was surveyed in 1974, 1983, 1997, 2004 and then annually from 2008–2017. The number of breeding pairs peaked in the mid-2000s prior to the eradication of rabbits and rodents, which was likely due to the availability of these non-native prey species. After the pest eradication baiting program, the number of breeding pairs declined by approximately 50 per cent and breeding success by 60 per cent. This was due to a combination of reduced prey availability and incidental mortality from the baiting program. Since then the number of breeding pairs and breeding success has remained relatively stable (Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks Water and Environment pers. comm.).

 Conservation Concerns and Actions
In the