Quiet please! Mariners told not to disturb endangered bird

Mariners approaching a breeding ground of Yelkouan Shearwaters at L-Aħrax tal-Mellieħa will not be allowed to use lights or make loud noise in an effort to contribute towards sustaining this endangered bird.

The Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) will be issuing a Notice to Mariners to this effect.

The Yelkouan Shearwater Project is Malta's largest conservation initiative of its kind. With 50 per cent funding from the European Union's Life Nature Fund, the importance of this project lies in the fact that an estimated 1,500 pairs of Yelkouan Shearwaters are known to breed here, around 10 per cent of the world's Yelkouan Shearwater population.

The project seeks to protect the birds at their largest breeding site, Rdum Tal-Madonna (L'Aħrax Tal-Mellieħa).

The MMA's Notice to Mariners refers to a restricted area between what is known as Ponta Ta' L-Aħrax and Daħlet Ix-Xilep, also referred to as Rdum Tal-Madonna. These cliffs are a popular breeding area for the Yelkouan Shearwater and have now been designated as a Special Protection Area.

This notice is part of the MMA's contribution towards a nature project of great significance for ensuring the protection of such an endangered species said Charles Axisa, marketing and communications manager at the MMA.

"Since it has been found that abrupt light and noise can disturb the birds during the peak breeding season and cause them to desert, the MMA has established a buffer zone of about 1.1 nautical miles from the shore."

Masters of all vessels and craft approaching this area are to ensure that their lights have been switched off and no loud noise is allowed while moving along this stretch of coast.

This notice refers most of all to pleasure cruises and also prohibits the letting off of petards and other fireworks from the sea.

The buffer zone to the SPA is a "no stopping zone" for all vessels other than vessels licensed to fish, however, such fishing activities in the area using strong lights are prohibited, explained Mr Axisa.

Speaking about this project, Helen Raine, project manager for the EU Life Yelkouan Shearwater Project, said: "Malta is a real hotspot for seabirds so it's important that we protect these birds. If the parent birds are disturbed the chicks can be left to starve".

This project is also interesting from a logistical perspective as it involves a close collaboration between three conservation organisations: Birdlife Malta, The RSPB (Birdlife UK) and SPEA (Birdlife Portugal) and four government authorities, being the MMA, the Armed Forces of Malta, Heritage Malta and the Malta Centre for Fisheries Sciences.

More information about the Yelkouan Shearwater Project is available from www.lifeshearwater project.org.mt.