News of Tristan da Cunha's wildlife for 2016.

Stamp issue: Biodiversity Part II

Stamps illustrating the Tristan Group's biodiversity - Part II: Six more species endemic to the islands.
7-Dec-2016
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Stamp issue: Biodiversity Part I

Stamps illustrating the Tristan Group's biodiversity - Part I: Six species endemic to the islands.
30-Nov-2016
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Announcement of Tristan da Cunha Research Expedition 2017

We are delighted to announce that in January 2017, the RSPB, Tristan da Cunha Government and National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team will be conducting a joint 5-week marine discovery expedition to the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.

This expedition will help the Tristan community fulfil its ambition of 'establishing a regime for protecting the waters across the entire Tristan da Cunha Exclusive Economic Zone by 2020. This will be driven by the community, be science-led, and will meet both local economic and conservation needs. It will have the full financial support of the UK for management and enforcement, as part of the UK Government’s world-leading ‘Blue Belt’ commitment.'

Significantly, the resulting protections will cover more than three quarters of a million square kilometres of rich ocean and also surround Gough Island World Heritage Site, described by the IUCN as ‘arguably the most important seabird island in the world’.

The Tristan Government is very excited about this new partnership, and if you would like to hear more as the work unfolds, the Tristan Website will have a dedicated page on the expedition as it takes place. We are in direct contact with the National Geographic Pristine Seas Expedition Leader, the explorer and broadcaster Paul Rose who will keep us informed during the expedition.

With a world-leading science team, underwater film-makers, deep-diving cameras, satellite trackers, a terrestrial film crew, expert local knowledge and plenty of places which no human eye has ever investigated before, the expedition hopes to both discover new species and records for Tristan, as well as to showcase the archipelago’s wildlife treasures to the world!

Links:

Elephant Seals hauled up on Tristan Beach

Report and photos from Kelly Burns

Two Elephant Seals were seen hauled up at Flat Rocks on Sunday 18th June 2016 and were photographed by Kelly looking from atop the cliffs below the Potato Patches when out for a walk on that day. See also other seal sightings below.

Giant Sunfish caught off Tristan on 2nd June 2016

Report and photos from Carlene Glass-Green

Joe, Keith, Grant and Jason Green caught this large sunfish when out fishing on 2nd June. The photos show Jason (left) and Justin (right) with the fish. Justin is over 6ft tall so the fish must be approx. 1 metre long.

The sunfish is likely to be an ocean sunfish or common mola Mola mola, which is the largest known bony fish in the world and lives on a diet mainly of jelly fish. This may be the first recorded finding of an ocean sunfish in Tristan waters.

A much smaller Slender Sunfish ,  Ranzania laevis also rare fish in Tristan waters, was discovered on a Tristan beach by Mark Swain in March 2015 - see Wild News 2015 for details.

New Page: Tristan da Cunha Wildlife and Conservation News

News of Tristan da Cunha's wildlife and its conservation.
14-May-2016
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Britain's Treasure Islands TV Series

Stewart McPherson's film series 'Britain’s Treasure Islands' was broadcast on BBC4 in April 2016, including footage of Tristan.
13-Apr-2016
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Britain's Treasure Islands Event

Launch event for Stewart McPherson's film series and book 'Britain’s Treasure Islands', including Tristan, held at the Royal Geographical Society 24th March 2016.
24-Mar-2016
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Sea Elephant still around Flat Rocks

Shirley Squibb took this photo of a
Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina
hauled up on the beach at Flat Rocks on 20th March 2016.

It is thought to be the same animal
that was photographed by Dawn Repetto
two weeks earlier (see below).

Wildlife on Runaway Beach on Sunday 6th March 2016

Report and photos from Dawn Repetto

On Mother's Day the good weather encouraged many to spend the day at the Potato Patches. With seas so calm there was a lot of wildlife spotted at Runaway Beach and Flat Rocks.

Above: A bull fur seal sunbathing on Runaway Beach
Right: A Northern Rockhopper Penguin on the steps to Runaway Beach. Penguins are found ashore to moult from December - March, with non-breeders.
A Southern Elephant Seal swimming in a rock pool at Flat Rocks, also on 6th March.

Fur Seals at Pigbite

Photo from Dawn Repetto taken on 2nd January 2016

This group of Subantarctic fur seals Atctocephalus tropicalis on the Tristan settlement plain show are a positive sign for a species that thirty years ago were only regularly found in groups at the caves where there is a breeding population resident in summer months. Note how well the fur seals are camouflaged against the grey lava boulders.