Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General Objective:

To contribute to the conservation of Europe’s seabirds through the comprehensive and territory-adapted management of Natura 2000 marine areas.

Specific objectives:

• To improve scientific knowledge of the biodiversity and populations of seabirds present in the Gulf of Ártabro and the marine SPAs of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula located in the area of study, and of their conservation status.
• Identify the main impacts on seabirds and their habitats in this territory.
• To assess the incidence of mortality in fishing gear in this territory and to establish mitigation measures.
• To evaluate the impact of other productive activities on the territory’s seabirds and to propose management measures.
• To promote social participation and models of integral, multisectoral and participatory governance for the management of the SPAs under study.
• Enhancement of the natural heritage for the development of local populations.
• To disseminate and make known to society in general the importance of seabirds in the territory, problems and conservation needs.

1. Census of breeding seabirds.
2. Seabird ringing campaign.
3. Remote monitoring of seabirds.
4. Monitoring the migratory passage of seabirds.
5. Analysis of the use of marine space by the target species for conservation.
6. Genetic analysis of the artubrious cormorant population.
7. Study of the presence of plastics and marine debris in nests and breeding colonies of seabirds.
8. Measures for the protection and consolidation of colonies of procellariformes.
9. Conducting surveys of fishermen on mortality and interactions between seabirds and fishing gear.
10. Participatory process for the fisheries sector on fisheries management compatible with seabird conservation.
11. Identification of shared fishing-environment problems and proposal for an action protocol.
12. Testing of seabird mortality mitigation measures in fishing gear.
13. State of the art on the interactions between seabird conservation and socio-economic activities in the European Atlantic.
14. Compilation of the state of the art and proposal of an R+D protocol for the definition and testing of measures for the evaluation and mitigation of seabird mortality in offshore wind farms.
15. Analysis of specific vulnerability to productive activities.
16. Protocol of action on light pollution and Cory’s shearwater.
17. Diagnosis and implementation of a proposal for ornithological and marine tourism.
18. Implementation of a proposal for an integrated and multisectoral governance system for the marine SPAs in the area of study.
19. Informative campaign on the conservation value of marine and coastal SPAs and the importance of seabirds.
20. Traveling exhibition on fishing and seabirds.
21. International Conference on Seabirds and their Movements in the North Atlantic.
22. Preparation of a book on birds and the natural capital of the marine environment of the territory.
23. Communication and dissemination of the project.

The work carried out has made it possible to know the population status of various species of seabirds present in the territory. Through this cycle of projects:

1. The importance of this territory for the conservation of theshag has been highlighted, unknown to date, as it is home to the main breeding area of the species on the Iberian peninsular coast, as well as 10% of the Atlantic subspecies in the Iberian Peninsula.
2. The consolidation of a new Eurasian oystercatcher breeding site has been confirmed.
3. It has contributed to the first complete census of the European storm petrelin Galicia in the 21st century.
4. The importance of the Cantabrian-Atlantic migratory corridorhas been confirmed for hundreds of thousands of specimens of dozens of European seabird species.
5. The prenuptial migratory passage through the Costa da Morte marine space SPA has been studied for the first time.
6. Progress has been made in the knowledge of the use of space by Atlantic Cory’s shearwatersresident in Galicia, with the most intense work carried out to date through remote monitoring with this population, the northernmost on the planet.

In the social field, significant progress has been made in the participation of the fishing sector through surveys and participatory processes with which they have been given a voice in decision-making on the management of seabirds in the territory through the first steps of a participatory governance system. In addition, progress has been made in the generation of knowledge for the establishment of good practices, protocols and proposals for measures in different areas related to the marine environment (fisheries and energy, among others) not only for the conservation, but also for the promotion and enhancement of the common heritage represented by seabirds through ornithological tourism.

• Census of breeding seabirds.

The most remarkable result is that the census of European storm petrel in Galicia has been completed by visiting, together with the census carried out by the Xunta de Galicia, practically all the known localities of the species, a large part of them not registered since the 1990s. The result obtained is a minimum of 108 breeding pairs in Galicia.

• Seabird ringing campaign.

A total of 25 shag cormorants, 67 yellow-legged gulls, 2 black-backed gulls, 4 European storm petrels and 27 Cory’s shearwaters were ringed, all of them in breeding colonies of the different species.

• Remote monitoring of seabirds.

Two GPS-GSM devices have been placed in adult specimens of shag and 15 in adult specimens of Atlantic Cory’s shearwater in colonies of both species. As a result, nearly 300,000 locations were obtained that will allow valuable information to be obtained about their movements, priority presence areas and feeding areas.

• Monitoring the migratory passage of seabirds.

The visible passage of birds has been monitored:

1. originating in the cape of Punta dos Orejas (Fisterra, A Coruña), from February 14 to May 24, 2022, as a result of a total of 319.30 hours of census over 63 days. This event is the first systematic monitoring of the prenuptial migratory passage ever carried out in the SPA Marine Area of the Costa da Morte.
2. originating in the Cape of Estaca de Bares (Mañón, A Coruña), from June 4 to September 30, 2022, as a result of a total of 607 hours of census over 97 days. In total, therefore, 160 census days were carried out with 926 accumulated hours, which returned a total number of birds of 155,827 on the Costa da Morte, with a final estimate of 314,255 birds of 31 species. In this case, the total number of moving birds registered was 226,768 birds. Of these, 8,809 were registered to the east and 219,072 to the west. From the figures obtained, it is estimated that 460,094 birds have passed through, of which 48,893 would have passed to the east and 422,330 to the west.

• Analysis of the use of marine space by the target species for conservation.

A series of census itineraries have been carried out from a boat through the marine area of the SPA marine space of Punta Candelaria, Ortigueira estuary and Estaca de Bares, documenting the species present and their location. The censuses at sea made it possible to identify the areas of presence of those species that are more pelagic and less visible from land, completing the picture of the presence of seabirds in the SPA. Such is the case of the common storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) and Wilson’s storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) or the Sabine’s gull (Xema sabini), species that, as shown in the following maps, generally occupy a large part of the waters of the SPA.

• Study of the presence of plastics and marine debris in nests and breeding colonies of seabirds.

In the case of the yellow-legged gull, the plastics present in the nests of two colonies of the species in the area of the project were compared: one in an urban environment such as the islands of San Pedro, in the city of A Coruña itself, and another in a natural environment such as the Sisargas islands in Malpica de Bergantiños. The identified plastics were classified according to their colour, size, typology and probable origin, concluding a greater presence of plastics in the urban colony compared to the one located in the SPA in a natural environment. In the case of the shag shag, a very low or almost anecdotal presence of plastics was detected in nests of the species in the colonies of the Arctic Gulf.

• Measures for the protection and consolidation of colonies of procellariformes.

The use of indirect traps through the placement of camera traps allowed documenting the natural predation by the Palearctic otter in European storm petrel colonies, not detecting the presence of exotic predators or introduced by man such as cats or American mink, nor evidence of predation by rodents in the shearwater colonies.

• Conducting surveys of fishermen on mortality and interactions between seabirds and fishing gear.

A total of 31 surveys have been carried out in 9 ports of the territory. Most of the respondents report captures of at least one bird per year, with the shag being the most captured species. The capture of the shag is reported by all fishermen who admit to catching at least one bird a year and who fish with fixed gear. These gears also refer to the occasional capture of other diving birds such as negrones and alcids. Shearwaters and indeterminate gulls and gannets are referred to by those fishermen who fish with purse seine (seagull and gannet) and palangrillo (the three referred to).

• Participatory process for the fisheries sector on fisheries management compatible with seabird conservation.

Consultations have been made through online forms that were sent to all the guilds of the territory, achieving the participation of 8 of them responding to a battery of 43 questions on the current situation and problems of the sector at a local global level, possible measures to be applied to improve it, knowledge and assessment of the problem of interactions between birds and fishing, assessment of possible measures to reduce this problem and assessment of possible compensatory measures in the face of such potential regulations.

• Identification of shared fishing-environment problems and proposal for an action protocol.

Preparation of a diagnosis of the state of the fishing sector based on its own opinion, and proposal aimed at improving the social valuation of the sector, its internal functioning and environmental sustainability and, fundamentally, related to the possible implications for the management of the marine SPAs in the territory.

• Testing of seabird mortality mitigation measures in fishing gear.

In collaboration with two vessels in the territory, a potential measure to mitigate seabird mortality in gillnets was tested, consisting of the modification of the “trammel net” fishing gear by eliminating flotation instruments. The results obtained were not as expected since the effectiveness of the measure implemented in reducing the accidental capture of diving birds could not be tested, as no catches were obtained. In any case, it was found that the elimination of the cork line is a feasible and easily applied measure to try to reduce seabird mortality, so it is recommended to continue with the trials in the future.

• State of the art on the interactions between seabird conservation and socio-economic activities in the European Atlantic.

Compilation of the state of the art and existing knowledge on the different interactions and problems between the species of seabirds present in the area of study or others of similar characteristics present in the North Atlantic.

• Compilation of the state of the art and proposal of an R+D protocol for the definition and testing of measures for the evaluation and mitigation of seabird mortality in offshore wind farms.

Preparation of protocol.

• Analysis of specific vulnerability to productive activities.

Specific report structured in files by species, with qualitative analysis and categorization of their vulnerability to the different productive activities present or potentially present in the area of study.

• Protocol of action on light pollution and Cory’s shearwater.

4 informative talks on the problem and preparation of informative materials.

• Diagnosis and implementation of a proposal for ornithological and marine tourism.
• Implementation of a proposal for an integrated and multisectoral governance system for the marine SPAs in the area of study.

Holding of the meeting to set up the governance table and preparation of the roadmap.

• Informative campaign on the conservation value of marine and coastal SPAs and the importance of seabirds.

Realization of 7 informative talks.

• Traveling exhibition on fishing and seabirds.

Preparation of a travelling exhibition, currently available for exhibition by requesting entities.

• International Conference on Seabirds and their Movements in the North Atlantic.

Holding of the conference in September and October 2022, in a blended format with online talks and conference + field day in Estaca de Bares.

• Communication and dissemination of the project.

A project website, two press releases, two informative audiovisuals, dissemination on social networks and distribution lists, and presentation of the project in forums such as: NatureWatch, CONAMA, Permanent Seminar Reeducamar of CENEAM, VI National Congress of Ecotourism.