Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:3:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 6/26)
Character Range: 85703–88699

management and tourist vessel visits to other islands. Australian and Tasmanian government agencies are working together to achieve the highest level of biosecurity for transport of goods and people to Macquarie Island. The danger to already threatened populations of albatrosses and petrels, in particular, could increase if the introduced pest free status of any breeding site was lost. Quarantine and other regulations are in place at all Australian breeding sites to minimise this threat.
Introduced invasive species remain a significant problem at breeding sites for many of the albatross and petrel species that forage in Australian waters but breed beyond Australia's jurisdiction.

Competition with native species
Threats from competition with native wildlife including direct damage to nesting habitat and predation.

Albatrosses and petrels, and many other seabirds typically occupy isolated, often relatively small islands. As a consequence, competition (both within and between species) for limited nest space can be intense, particularly on smaller islands.
Interspecific competition for nest space is a potential threat to the Shy Albatrosses breeding population on Pedra Branca where nest sites are limited (DPIPWE 2021b). The number of Australasian Gannets on Pedra Branca has been increasing, while the number of Shy Albatrosses at this location has been decreasing (Bunce et al. 2002, Alderman et al. 2011). Interactions between gannets and albatrosses are still poorly understood, but gannets may be removing nesting material, and displacing Shy Albatross from potential nesting sites, particularly in areas where gannets outnumber albatrosses. Further investigation is underway into the nature and extent of the inter-species interaction, and to explore management options. Following a successful trial on Albatross Island in 2017, 18 artificial nests made of aerated concrete were deployed on Pedra Branca in 2019 at four different sites with cameras set up to monitor each location (DPIPWE 2021b). It is hoped that the artificial nests will improve the breeding success of Shy Albatross nesting on Pedra Branca, as occurred on Albatross Island, where breeding success on artificial nests was found to be double that of natural nests (DPIPWE 2021b).
Disease
Threats from native and non-native pathogens.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases can have catastrophic consequences for albatross and petrel populations (Barbosa & Palaios 2009). The effect and severity of a disease can depend upon, among other factors, environmental conditions, the strain of the pathogen, the age of a bird, its health status and tends to vary among the various bird species (Woods 2004, Young & van der Werf 2008).
The flea and tick (Ixodes eudyptidis) borne Phlebovirus (Hunter Island Group virus I) was a major cause of Shy Albatross chick mortality during some years at Albatross Island (Woods 2004, Wang et al. 2014, Uhart et al. 2018). Heavily infested nestlings carried ticks clustered