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CalendarKiama Pelagic Trip Report Saturday 27th May 2023
Vessel: M.V Kato
Departed: 07:35 returned at 15:00
Seas: South easterly around 1-1.5m in the morning, decreasing to 0.5m from midday as the wind dropped.
Weather: Mostly cloudy, with a few clear patches. There were a number showers during the day, but they were brief.
Temperature range: 15 to 24 degrees.
Wind: 10 - 15 knots south easterly on our way out, dropping to 5 knots from around midday.
Sea surface temperature: 22 degrees in shore, 24.4 degrees at the shelf.
This is the trip report from outside the harbour on a Kiama pelagic on the MV Kato on
Saturday 27th May 2023. The trip list uses the IOC Checklist v12.1 (Jan. 2022) for taxonomy, nomenclature. It gives fairly conservative numbers, which are estimates for the commoner species.
Sea conditions were comfortable with a 1 to 1.5 m swell and increasing out at the shelf in the later morning. There were blue skies and 10- 15 knot winds. The sea temperature at the shelf edge was 20 degrees.
Leaving the harbour at 07:30 am, we headed out in an east south easterly direction towards the edge of the continental shelf. On the way there were a number of juvenile Kelp Gulls, Gannets and albatross. There were also a number of Humpback Whales.
We first stopped at 116 fathoms and began to chum using chicken mince, fish, and tuna oil.
There were a few albatrosses and petrels about, and one bird came close enough that it was caught and ringed, a Campbell's Albatross.
Around 10:10 am we continued out to 169 fathoms and again chummed. Most of the birds behind the boat followed including the Wilson's Storm-petrel. No other birds came close enough to be caught.
On the return leg we again stopped at 116 fathoms when a wanderer approached the boat. It made several passes before flying off. Other albatross came in. There were a number of fluttering type shearwaters seen on the return leg. Several Humpback Whales and both Common and Bottle-nose Dolphins made a brief appearance on the return leg.
We arrived back at 3pm. Coming into the harbour there was a Pelican and two Ospreys.
Bird species seen outside the harbour, maximum at any one time in brackets:
125 Silver Gull: 35+ (5)
981 Kelp Gull: 3 (2)
115 Greater Crested Tern: 27+ (19)
089 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 8 (3)
931 Buller's Albatross: 3 (2)
091 &861 Shy Albatross: 4 (2)
088 Black-browed Albatross: 3 (2)
859 Campbell's Albatross: 8 (3)
086 Wandering Albatross (Snowy): 1 (1)
063 Wilson's Storm-petrel: 3 (21)
971 Solander's(Providence) Petrel: 7 (3)
071 Short-tailed Shearwater: 1 (1)
068 Fluttering Shearwater: 7 (4)
104 Australasian Gannet: 21 (9) adults and immatures
Inside the Harbour
106 Pelican: 1 (1)
Osprey: 2 (2)
Marine mammals
Humpback Whale: 6+
Common Dolphin: 5+
Bottlenose Dolphins: 2