Paulo Catry

Countries have committed to expanding the marine protected area (MPA) network to 30% of the world's ocean by 2030, more than tripling current coverage, and focusing on areas important for biodiversity. For such expansion to translate into effective conservation of marine biodiversity, it must rely on the best available knowledge. Here, we analyze tracking data on > 13,000 individuals (44 species, eight families) to map the distribution of highly mobile seabirds in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas throughout the year. We identify regions important year‐round or seasonally. The High Seas are as important as national waters for highly mobile seabirds but are even less protected. Current Atlantic MPAs hold < 14% of tracked species density, but their expansion to 30% of the ocean could protect up to two thirds. We share this new knowledge layer to support national and international efforts and policies to strategically expand the Atlantic MPA network.

The Falkland skua ( Stercorarius antarcticus antarcticus ) is a long-lived seabird breeding primarily in the Falkland Islands. Despite its current Least Concern status by the IUCN, its population is declining, and trends remain poorly understood. We surveyed breeding populations across 18 islands and compared the changes in population size on New Island and Steeple Jason Island, the two largest known nesting sites. Between 2009 and 2023, the New Island population declined by 26% (2.1% annually), from 333 to 246 apparently occupied territories (AOTs). Over a similar period, the Steeple Jason Island population increased by 50% (3.1% annually), from 222 to 332 AOTs - reversing the population sizes at the two sites. A higher proportion of single-egg clutches and empty nests on New Island suggests lower breeding success. In contrast, the growth on Steeple Jason Island may be associated with a high number of food sources, including the establishment of a breeding rookery of South American fur seals ( Arctocephalus australis ). Resightings of skuas ringed as chicks indicate natal philopatry but also some dispersal across the archipelago. These results emphasise the need for a broad, multi-colony approach to better understand and manage Falkland skua populations.

Phenotypic responses to climate affect individual fitness, but the extent to which this translates into effects on population dynamics remains poorly understood. We assemble 213 time series on phenotypes and population sizes of wild vertebrates globally and match them with local climate data. Our meta-analysis shows that morphological traits are mostly climate insensitive. However, phenology is earlier in warmer-than-average years, which contributes positively to population growth in most species. At lower latitudes, temperature has weaker effects on phenology but stronger direct negative effects on population growth, likely because these populations are less capable of tracking climate via plasticity. Variation in the phenology-mediated effect of temperature on population growth cannot be explained by latitude, generation time, migratory mode, or diet. This suggests that simple relationships between species characteristics and population responses to warming may not occur in nature. Instead, we may need to embrace ecological complexity by considering local-scale predictors that capture intra-specific variation.

This study provides the first detailed assessment of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting population from Poilão island, in the Bijagós archipelago of Guinea-Bissau, the only documented regular nesting site for this species in West Africa. Over 17 years, from 2007 to 2024, 29 females were tagged, with one to six individuals nesting annually, some for more than 10 years. Nesting occurs from July to November, coinciding with the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting season. Female hawksbills at Poilão are among the largest within the East Atlantic Regional Management Unit (EARMU), with average carapace length of 89.3 ± 4.3 cm. Satellite tracking revealed females remained year-round within the Bijagós archipelago, with small home ranges both during the inter-nesting (∼ 26.13 km²) and foraging periods (∼ 38.41 km²). Genetic sequencing identified two haplotypes - EiBr5 and EiBr7 - linking this population to others from within the EARMU and across the Atlantic, highlighting this rookery’s broader regional significance. Poilão is the single known rookery of origin of the orphan haplotype EiBR5 (also known as EiA49). Despite its importance, the minute size of this population and the lack of evidence for recent recruitment pose challenges to its potential for recovery and effective conservation. This study underscores the need for archipelago-wide sustained conservation measures to ensure the future of the hawksbills from Poilão, and West Africa.

Aim: To identify the broad‐scale oceanic migration routes (‘marine flyways’) used by multiple pelagic, long‐distance migratory seabirds based on a global compilation of tracking data.Location: Global.Time Period: 1989–2023.Major Taxa Studied: Seabirds (Families: Phaethontidae, Hydrobatidae, Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, Laridae and Stercorariidae).Methods: We collated a comprehensive global tracking dataset that included the migratory routes of 48 pelagic and long‐distance migrating seabird species across the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. We grouped individuals that followed similar routes, independent of species or timings of migration, using a dynamic time warping clustering approach. We visualised the routes of each cluster using a line density analysis and used knowledge of seabird spatial ecology to combine the clusters to identify the broad‐scale flyways followed by most pelagic migratory seabirds tracked to‐date at an ocean‐basin scale.Results: Six marine flyways were identified across the world's oceans: the Atlantic Ocean Flyway, North Indian Ocean Flyway, East Indian Ocean Flyway, West Pacific Ocean Flyway, Pacific Ocean Flyway and Southern Ocean Flyway. Generally, the flyways were used bidirectionally, and individuals either followed sections of a flyway, a complete flyway, or their movements linked two or more flyways. Transhemispheric figure‐of‐eight routes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and a circumnavigation flyway in the Southern Ocean correspond with major wind‐driven ocean currents.Main Conclusions: The marine flyways identified demonstrate that pelagic seabirds have similar and repeatable migration routes across ocean‐basin scales. Our study highlights the need to account for connectivity in seabird conservation and provides a framework for international cooperation.

Sea turtle nesting brings marine-derived nutrients into sandy beach ecosystems, potentially influencing their dynamics. We investigated nutrient input from green turtle Chelonia mydas eggs and hatchlings into coastal habitats in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. We assessed two islands within the João Vieira-Poilão Marine National Park (‘JVPMNP’), with contrasting sea turtle nesting density: very low (João Vieira) and very high (Poilão). On each island, we analyzed stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in one pair of plant species (coinvine Dalbergia ecastaphyllum bush/baobab Adansonia digitata tree) and two pairs of predator species (tufted ghost crab Ocypode cursor/African rainbow crab Cardisoma armatum and sea catfish Carlarius spp./crevalle jack Caranx hippos). The first species in each pair is distributed closer to nesting sites, while the second is found further inland or offshore. Stomach content analysis was also conducted for fishes. Results supported nutrient input from turtle clutches benefiting the species living near nesting sites. Shoreline coinvines at Poilão had higher δ¹⁵N (5.1 ± 3.2‰) compared to João Vieira (≈0‰), suggesting assimilation of turtle-derived ¹⁵N. Shoreline tufted ghost crabs at Poilão had enriched δ¹⁵N (15.2 ± 0.7‰ vs. João Vieira’s 12.2 ± 1.1‰) and δ¹³C (− 13.4 ± 0.7‰ vs. João Vieira’s − 18.7 ± 1.4‰), likely reflecting predation upon eggs and hatchlings. Sea catfishes at Poilão frequently consumed unhatched turtle eggs washed into the sea (17% frequency of occurrence) and hatchlings (up to 27%). This study suggests that nutrient availability from turtle nests influences and supports shoreline plants and consumers at JVPMNP.

Summary: Medium to small petrels that mostly nest in burrows or crevices represent a large fraction of the world’s seabirds, yet their population trends are largely unknown. This lack of knowledge, which has implications for conservation planning, results mostly from methodological difficulties and from the approaches that have been used for their monitoring. Here, we present the surveying scheme created to monitor Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis breeding numbers at their largest known colony, Selvagem Grande (Portugal). We defined 60 circular plots at fixed locations on this 2.45 km² island and counted nests with eggs annually at the end of laying. Results show that the population increased at 1.45% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72–2.01%) per year between 2009 and 2023. We estimate that the current population size is 38,830 pairs (95% quantile CIs = 34,373–43,713). To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first systematic information (using fully repeatable methods and providing CIs for the estimates) on population trends of Cory’s Shearwaters, one of the most abundant seabirds in the warm temperate and subtropical North Atlantic and one of the most studied petrels globally. Monitoring using the approach detailed here requires two days of work (by 2–3 persons) per year. Our results and simulations indicate that this is a powerful methodology, with narrow confidence limits for estimated trends and an ability to detect small population changes over short time spans. We suggest that more monitoring protocols similar to this one (with necessary site-specific adaptations, particularly for potential colony expansion where suitable habitat exists) should be developed and implemented in a range of colonies with crevice and burrowing nesting petrels to improve our knowledge on the population status of a broad fraction of the world’s seabirds.

Interactions with fisheries is a major threat to sea turtles. However, space-use at foraging locations remains overlooked in many populations, preventing effective protection. We assess the space-use of 14 juvenile and 24 adult green turtles (Chelonia mydas) satellite-tracked in 2018–2022 within a foraging site of global importance for this species, the Banc d’Arguin in Mauritania, West Africa. Turtles exhibited a patchy distribution and used overlapping habitats irrespective of sexes and life stages. Mean individual home range was larger (151.5 ± 160.5 km²) than values reported in most green turtle populations. Individuals concentrated in two main areas used year-round. Inshore/offshore movements seem to occur within the central part of the Banc d’Arguin, with turtles moving to deeper areas during colder months. More than half of the turtles performed within-season range shifts and switched between up to four distinct areas, with some individuals returning to previously visited sites. Turtles mostly exploited shallow areas (4.30 ± 3.42 m) and seemed to use disproportionally more of the areas inside the Parc National du Banc d’Arguin, than areas of similar bathymetry outside this marine protected area. This suggests that foraging green turtles have been benefiting from the management of the Park since it was established in 1976. However, turtles’ home range overlapped greatly with artisanal fisheries, which operate in the central shallow waters of the Park. The present study provides valuable ecological information that can be used to inform the planning of fisheries management zones, aiming to reduce the interactions between turtles and artisanal fisheries.

The current highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 panzootic is having substantial impacts on wild birds and marine mammals. Following major and widespread outbreaks in South America, an incursion to Antarctica occurred late in the austral summer of 2023/2024 and was confined to the region of the Antarctic Peninsula. To infer potential underlying processes, we compiled H5N1 surveillance data from Antarctica and sub‐Antarctic Islands prior to the first confirmed cases.