Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) is a legally binding international treaty signed in 2001 and entered into force on 1 February 2004 when South Africa ratified as the fifth Party to the Agreement.

It was created in order to halt the drastic decline of seabird populations in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly albatrosses and petrels procellariids. Albatrosses and petrels are threatened by introduced species on their breeding islands, pollution, and being taken as bycatch by longline fisheries (which kill more than 300 000 seabirds a year), as well as by trawl and gillnet fisheries. The Agreement requires that measures be taken by signatory governments (Parties) to reduce bycatch (by the use of mitigation measures), protection of breeding colonies and control and removal of introduced species from breeding sites, especially on islands.

Currently ACAP protects all the world's albatross species, seven southern-hemisphere petrel and two shearwater species. The Agreement marks the increasing international commitment to protect albatrosses and petrels, and is a considerable step forward in the fight to protect these charismatic seabirds.

The Executive Secretary of ACAP is Marco Favero, who is supported by a Science Officer, Wiesława Misiak and an honorary Information Officer, John Cooper. The is located at 27 Salamanca Square, Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

The Agreement entered into force on 1 February 2004. National representatives of the signatory countries (Parties) meet regularly.

Nine meetings of ACAP's Advisory Committee (AC) have been held to date, the last in La Serena, Chile from 9 to 13 May 2016. The AC is currently supported by three working groups (WGs) for Taxonomy (TWG), Seabird Bycatch (SBWG) and Population and Conservation Status (PaCSWG). The SBWG and PaCSWG meet immediately prior to AC meetings; the TWG conducts its business via correspondence. Each working group is managed by (co-)convenors who are experts in their fields; the Advisory Committee by a Chair and Vice-Chair.

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