Observations of seabirds in Macquarie Island waters (1999)

This survey is a first attempt at determining the distribution and relative abundance of all seabird species occurring in Macquarie Island waters, especially in relation to the main bathymetric and oceanographic features of the study area, namely the Macquarie Ridge and Subantarctic Front, respectively. To this end, observations of seabirds were made from aboard the CSIRO Research Vessel Southern Surveyor while it conducted acoustic, trawling and benthic surveys in the waters immediately round Macquarie Island and northwards along the Macquarie Ridge during 14-31 January 1999. The nine main sites within the study area and the distribution of seabird counts at each site are shown in Figure 1 (see Appendix 4 of https://www.frdc.com.au/project?id=1942). Most observations were made over the relatively shallow waters of the main part of the Macquarie Ridge i.e. close inshore off the east and west coasts of the island and northward along the ridge to the southern edge of the Subantartic Front Gap (sites 2-5). Additional observations were made in shallow waters well south of the island at the southernmost part of the ridge (site 7), and at two other ridge sites north of the Subantarctic Front Gap (sites 8 and 9). Observations were also carried out at two deep-water (pelagic) sites: at site 6 in waters c.25 miles west of Aurora Trough, and at the Subantarctic Front Gap (site 1) immediately north of the main north-south ridge through the island.