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Westland petrels and hoki fishery waste: opportunistic use of a readily available resource?

  • Publication Type

    Journal Article

  • Publication Year

    2002

  • Author(s)

    A.N.D. Freeman; K.J. Wilson

  • Journal Name

    Notornis

  • Volume, Issue

    49, 3

  • Pagination

    139-144

  • Article Type

    paper

Keywords

diet; fisheries waste; Procellaria westlandica; Westland Petrel


Westland petrels and hoki fishery waste: opportunistic use of a readily available resource?

Notornis, 49 (3), 139-144

A.N.D. Freeman; K.J. Wilson (2002)

Article Type: paper

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The importance of fisheries waste in the diet of Westland petrels (Procellaria westlandica) was assessed using 3 different techniques. Dietary studies showed that during the hoki (Macruronus novaezelandiae) fishing season (mid June – early September), fish waste formed c. 63% of the solid food brought back to the colony and fed to chicks. After the hoki season, fisheries waste contributed only c. 25% to the diet. A survey of Westland petrels at sea found that, although vessels fishing for hoki influence the petrels’ distribution, only a small proportion of the population appears to use this food resource at any one time. Satellite tracking showed that, on average, birds spent 1/3rd of each foraging trip near vessels, but they foraged over much wider areas than those occupied by the fishing fleets. Although fishery waste now forms a substantial component of the Westland petrel’s diet, the situation suggests opportunistic use of a readily available resource, rather than dependence.