Tasmanian Pelagic - November 1998

["Chris Lester"<>]

TASMANIA BOAT TRIP  -  17/11/1998

On Board: John Barkla, Gabrielle de Zoete, Steve Gaulin, Chris Lester, Jann
          Mulholland, Ross Mulholland.

Conditions:    Initially, it was very rough after an unexpectedly strong
          storm the night before, with a 4 metre swell as we left Pirates
          Bay.  The swell reduced over the day and was 2 m on our return.
          The wind was northeasterly at 10 ? 15 knots in the morning and
          moved northerly in afternoon at similar strength.

          The weather was fine all day, but the observing was severely
          hampered by a sea fog that we entered 7 nm from Pirates Bay on
          the way out to the shelf.  We expected the fog to lift as the day
          progressed, but it persisted all day, sometimes worsening so
          visibility was only 20-30 metres and then ?clearing? so it was
          50-100m.  Therefore, the viewing was extremely difficult with the
          fog and a significant swell.

          We travelled 13.8 nautical miles out to the shelf and then moved
          back and forwards between the shelf and 3.5 nm past the shelf.
          We were approximately 3 nm north of Eaglehawk Neck.


Birds:                   Most seen at once    Estimated Total

Little Penguin                  1               3
Giant-Petrel sp                      1               1
SOUTHERN FULMAR                 1               2
Cape Petrel                     1               2
Great-winged Petrel             1               1
Fairy Prion                              10                      100
White-chinned Petrel                 4             10
Sooty Shearwater                1               3
Short-tailed Shearwater                          200
400
Wandering Albatross             1               1
Black-browed Albatross               1               4
Shy Albatross                              5                       60
Wilson?s Storm-Petrel                2             15
White-faced Storm-Petrel             4              25
Australasian Gannet             3                4
Black-faced Cormorant                5              12
Jaeger sp                  1                1
Pacific Gull                    2                3
Kelp Gull                  5              15
Silver Gull                                    20