JUST A SAILING SUPERSTITION? WILSON’S STORM PETREL PRESENCE AT COMMERCIAL TRAWLERS AT GOLFO SAN JORGE, ARGENTINA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS

GONZÁLEZ-ZEVALLOS, DIEGO; FRUMENTO, OSCAR; SVAGELJ, WALTER S.; YORIO, PABLO

Academia Letters

Academia.edu

Año: 2022 vol. AL p. 1 - 10

Wilson’s Storm Petrels spend the austral winter and spring (May to October) at sea. Studies in the Golfo San Jorge, Patagonian Shelf, showed the presence of this petrel in seabird assemblages associated with commercial trawlers. A sailing superstition holds that the appearance of storm petrel foretells bad weather. By way of confirming this traditional belief, the aim of this study is to relate the appearance of the Wilson Storm Petrel with the weather conditions at sea and the feeding behaviour implications. Information about the presence and abundance was gathered on board from a total of 253 hauls during 2005, 2006 and 2008. A total of 65 individuals were recorded in 30 (11.86%) of fishing hauls. The number and presence of Wilson Storm Petrels be correlated with low atmospheric pressure. Given that they are among of the most abundant seabirds of the world, detailed data on interactions with fisheries and weather conditions at sea are not only interesting for analyze their association with fisheries or foretells bad weather, but may also be useful for monitoring the Southern Oceans.