Species: Albatrosses
Resource tracking and use of Antarctic sea-ice habitats by albatrosses and large petrels breeding in the subantarctic
The majority of the world’s albatrosses and large petrels breed on islands in the Southern Ocean. It is well known that they can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres on foraging trips. Potentially,
Measuring uncertainty in interactions between seabirds and fishing vessels
Seabird species all over the world, especially tube-nosed birds like albatrosses and petrels, are at risk when they interact with fisheries. Attracted to fishing vessels by the prospect of food, seabirds frequently get
World Albatross Day 2024: The South Tasman Sea as a candidate High Seas MPA
World Albatross Day is celebrated on the 19th of June to raise awareness of the conservation crisis albatrosses face. This date marks the signing of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses
World Albatross Day!
We celebrate World Albatross Day on June 19th to mark the date the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was signed in 2001. This year’s theme is plastic pollution and
Progressing delineations of key biodiversity areas for seabirds, and their application to management of coastal seas
Decision-making products that support effective marine spatial planning are essential for guiding efforts that enable conservation of biodiversity facing increasing pressures. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are a product recently agreed upon by an international network of organizations for identifying globally important areas. Utilizing the KBA framework, and by developing a conservative protocol to identify sites, we identify globally importants places for breeding seabirds throughout the coastal seas of a national territory. We inform marine spatial planning by evaluating potential activities that may impact species and how a proposed network of Marine Management Areas (MMAs) overlap with important sites.
Fine-scale associations between wandering albatrosses and fisheries in the southwest Atlantic Ocean
Since the 1970s, South Georgia’s wandering albatrosses have declined catastrophically due to fisheries bycatch. Bycatch risk was highest at the Patagonian Shelf break, visited during incubation and post-guard chick-rearing periods. The greatest overlap was with South Korean vessels, and demersal longliners from various nations. Seabird bycatch rates are highly variable across fishing fleets. Urgent need for engagement with stakeholders to ensure implementation of bycatch mitigation and monitoring of compliance.
Using globally threatened pelagic birds to identify priority sites for marine conservation in the South Atlantic Ocean
Using globally threatened pelagic birds to identify priority sites for marine conservation in the South Atlantic Ocean
Integrating immersion with GPS data improves behavioural classification for wandering albatrosses and shows scavenging behind fishing vessels mirrors natural foraging
Integrating immersion with GPS data improves behavioural classification for wandering albatrosses and shows scavenging behind fishing vessels mirrors natural foraging
Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and petrels
Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for 39 species of albatrosses and large petrels. Populations from every country made extensive use of the high seas, indicating the stake each country has in the management of biodiversity in international waters. We quantified the links among national populations of these threatened seabirds and the regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) which regulate fishing in the high seas. This work makes explicit the relative responsibilities that each country and RFMO has for the management of shared biodiversity, providing invaluable information for the conservation and management of migratory species in the marine realm.
