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CalendarKiama Pelagic Trip Report - Saturday 17th June 2023
W.I.R.E.S - Trip Report
Here's what was seen outside the harbour on a Kiama pelagic for WIRES members on the MV Kato on Saturday 17 June 2023. The trip list uses the IOC Checklist v13.1 (Jan. 2023) for taxonomy, nomenclature & order of species. It gives fairly conservative numbers, which are estimates for the commoner species.
Leaving the harbour at 07.20 hrs, we proceeded directly out to the shelf edge, stopping briefly to watch pods of migrating Humpback Whales on their journey north. Reaching the shelf edge at 34 44 53 S; 151 08 27 E, 27 km SE of the harbour, we began our first chumming session in 114 fathoms/208 m at 09.20 hrs. Our tasty mix of beef fat and pet mince, together with tuna oil, attracted the albatrosses in the area with four species coming in along with a hungry immature Northern Giant Petrel.
After an hour or so, having drifted 1.7 km SE in the current, we went 3.6 km further out to a spot in deeper water (188 fathoms/344 m), right where the shelf drops off into pelagic waters. Here at 34 46 36 S; 151 11 09 E, 32 km from the harbour, we began chumming and drifting again at 10.50 hrs. This was slightly less productive for albatrosses with only three species being attracted, but we also saw our first and only smaller petrel for the day, a New Zealand breeding Grey-faced Petrel.
After we had drifted a further 1.4 km SE, we decided to head back in at 11.55 hrs.
On the return journey we were entertained by a variety of cetaceans. We had a single Risso's Dolphin giving good views, several pods of Common Dolphins surfing the boats wake and excellent close views of a breeching Humpback Whale. We arrived back at the dock at 14.16 hrs.
Sea conditions were benign all day, fairly flat at first but gradually increasing to a comfortable 0.5 m swell. The sea temperature was 16.9 degrees inshore and 18.7 degrees at the shelf edge.
Species seen outside the harbour, maximum at any one time in brackets:
125 Silver Gull: 25+ (10) these birds were mostly inshore, but one came in at our first chumming spot 27 km offshore.
981 Kelp Gull: 1 (1) an immature perched on the headland as we were setting out
115 Greater Crested Tern: 25+ (12) a number of birds rested on the boat s bow rail while we were chumming.
088 Black-browed Albatross: 6 (4)
Black-browed/Campbell Albatross: 4 the eye colour on some birds couldn t be seen clearly, so the species wasn't determined.
091/861 Shy Albatross: 6 (3) not possible to determine if these were subspecies cauta or steadi
860 Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 9 (3)
931/860 Buller's Albatross: 4 (3)
937 Northern Giant Petrel: 1 (1) immature
075 Grey-faced Petrel: 1 (1)
068 Fluttering Shearwater: 1 (1)
104 Australasian Gannet: 30+ (17) most birds were seen resting on the water as we returned.
The cetaceans seen were Humpback Whales, a Risso's Dolphin and several pods of Common Dolphin's.
Report prepared by Graham Barwell