Australia to withdraw scientists from Macquarie Island over bird flu fears

Australia's Antarctic authorities plan to withdraw staff from Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean because of concerns about the psychological impact of a possible bird flu outbreak. The island is currently free of the H5 strain, but officials say a mass wildlife mortality event there could be deeply distressing for expeditioners living and working close to seals and seabirds. The move would affect a remote sub-Antarctic station about 1,500 kilometres south-east of Hobart.

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The Australian Antarctic Division said the decision was driven primarily by the risk to staff if bird flu reaches the island and causes widespread deaths among wildlife. Federal environment department deputy secretary Sean Sullivan said the withdrawal was a difficult decision and was being made because of the psychological risks for personnel who could be exposed to a prolonged mass mortality event. He said the impact of being confined to base while witnessing such scenes could also affect air quality and have longer-term consequences for staff.

Australia's icebreaker RSV Nuyina is expected to sail to Macquarie Island in October to retrieve the personnel before the peak of the elephant seal breeding season. The station currently has 24 expeditioners, who began what was expected to be a year-long deployment. The island is described as a wildlife sanctuary with up to 4 million seabirds and about 100,000 seals, and the research station sits within metres of a colony of southern elephant seals.

The decision comes after bird flu caused severe losses on Heard Island over summer, where officials say 13,000 elephant seal pups died. Authorities have warned that if the virus reaches Macquarie Island, as many as 90 per cent of baby elephant seals could die. That prospect has sharpened concern about the welfare of both wildlife and staff on one of Australia's most remote research outposts.

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Macquarie Island has long been important for wildlife research and conservation because of its dense populations of seabirds and marine mammals. Its location in the Southern Ocean also makes it a difficult place to support for long periods if conditions deteriorate. The planned withdrawal shows how biosecurity threats can quickly become an operational issue for remote scientific stations, especially where staff live in close proximity to vulnerable animal colonies.

What remains unclear is whether the withdrawal will proceed exactly as planned in October and how long the station will remain without staff. Officials have said the island is still free of bird flu, but the risk assessment is being shaped by events elsewhere in the region. The next key development will be the arrival of RSV Nuyina and whether any further biosecurity measures are announced before the elephant seal breeding season begins.

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