As already advised, Transport Malta is currently collaborating with BirdLife Malta’s `LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija’ project to reduce the impact of maritime activities on the protected Yelkouan Shearwater bird in the Maltese Islands and includes studies by BirdLife Malta on light-induced seabird ship strikes in the Maltese waters.

To this end BirdLife Malta said that a number of Notices to Mariners have today and in the past days been issued by Transport Malta for the conservation of the Yelkouan Shearwater (Garnija) in Malta – a threatened seabird.

BLM said that these will minimise the impact of boat-based tourism at a total of nine sensitive breeding sites of this vulnerable seabird and are the result of a partnership between BirdLife Malta’s LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija project and Transport Malta which has led to a compromise being reached to safeguard the Yelkouan Shearwater in the Maltese Islands.

Following research carried out under the project, guidelines to minimise the impact of boats at a total of nine sensitive sites that host Yelkouan Shearwater colonies in Malta and Gozo were formalised by BirdLife Malta and Transport Malta.

In Gozo, these are, Ta’ Cenc and Dwejra, then in there is Santa Marija Caves, Comino and Cominotto. In Malta they are, L-Irdum tal-Madonna, l-Ahrax tal-Mellieha, St. Paul’s Islands, Majjistral Nature and History Park, Migra l-Ferha and the Blue Grotto, Zurrieq.

BLM explained that because they are active only at night and the chicks stay inside deep burrows during the day, people are not aware of them when they are visiting the sites.

“Disturbance happens when large boats enter into small caves with high noise and lights. Stress from this disturbance may impact the breeding success of this threatened species,” said BLM.

It added that, one of the objectives of the LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija project was to reduce the disturbance from boat activities to breeding Yelkouans.

As boat-based tourism is highly popular and a source of income for many families in Malta, the socio- economic impact of this objective on commercial boat operators was also considered, said BLM

Transport Malta said that mariners are requested to cooperate and support the research by reporting sightings immediately as follows: BirdLife Malta seabirds@birdlifemalta.org SMS/phone on mobile/whatsapp: +356 99894405.

BirdLife Malta said that the Maltese Islands are home to approximately 10% of the world population of this shearwater species, therefore their protection is important on the global scale, especially with the population declines Yelkouan Shearwaters have been facing over the last decades.

The species is listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on its Red List of Threatened Species.

Light pollution in Europe is increasing by 5-10% annually and 99% of the European population lives under light-polluted skies – Light pollution is among the main threats faced by Yelkouan Shearwaters, BLM said.

These vulnerable seabirds are sensitive to light pollution and this was one of the main issues addressed by LIFE Arcipelagu Garnija. One of the objectives of the project was in fact to reduce light pollution and disturbance around Yelkouan breeding colonies in Gozo and Malta.

The first Notice to Mariners lists eight sensitive sites where Yelkouans are breeding and which are often visited by boats.

Another Notice to Mariners upgrades Notice to Mariners No 02 of 2010, which was issued under BirdLife Malta’s first LIFE-funded seabird project – the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project – and which, based on more research, introduces additional measures for the ninth site.

An additional Notice to Mariners urges mariners to report sightings of light-induced seabird strikes in their vessels.

Photo by Paulo Lago

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