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WORLD: Satellites Identify Albatross Danger Zones |
| December 3, 2004 |
By Xanthe Pamboris, AquaNews Correspondent
 | A Black-browed Albatross in flight.
Photo: Tony Palliser/
BirdLife International |
Scientists studying the world's endangered albatrosses have used satellites to pinpoint 'hot spots' where seabirds face danger from human activities. The research highlights how and where longline fishing fleets put these majestic birds most at risk.
Longline boats use baited lines, sometimes 130 km long and carrying thousands of hooks, to catch large fish such as tuna and sea bass. But these hooks snare more than just fish; flocks of seabirds also dive for the barbed bait as the lines are laid. Longlines snare and drown over 300,000 seabirds every year, including 100,000 albatrosses, and have helped to put all 21 albatross species at risk of extinction.
"Identifying areas where albatrosses and fishermen overlap is a crucial conservation step," said Cleo Small, International Marine Policy Officer at BirdLife International. "This research could not be more timely. It will focus minds on exactly what needs to be done to save these magnificent seabirds and where that action is most urgent."
 | A wandering albatross is dragged under water by a longline hook.
Graham Robertson/
Australian Antarctic Division | Pirate Plunder
Pirate (illegal) fishing causes one-third of all longline-related seabird deaths. Pirate fishing has severely depleted stocks of Patagonian toothfish, better known as Chilean sea bass. By using a Seafood Watch card to find sustainable alternatives such as tilapia, seafood lovers can help save these fish – and seabirds – from extinction. |
Scientists tagged and tracked members of sixteen albatross species and three petrel species – all of them endangered – and summarized their findings in BirdLife International’s Tracking Ocean Wanderers report. The report points out areas where longline fleets and seabirds meet, as well as providing information on the different foraging behaviours of breeding and non-breeding birds and the huge distances albatrosses travel. The Northern Royal Albatross, for example, flies up to 1,800 km in 24 hours, while the Grey-headed Albatross can circle the globe in 42 days.
Albatrosses breed slowly and are being killed faster than they can reproduce. They mate for life, and some species produce just one chick every two years. Some species do not reach sexual maturity until they are 15 years old, and although they can live for over 50 years, most individuals are killed long before they reach old age.
 | Tori lines carry brightly coloured streamers attached to longlines that flap in the wind and scare away seabirds.
Photo: BirdLife International |
To help prevent needless seabird deaths, longline fleets in some parts of the world have begun to use bird-scaring 'Tori lines,' which have coloured, flapping streamers attached. Other protective measures include using weighted lines to make the baited hooks sink faster, setting fishing lines at night when albatrosses do not feed, and timing fishing activities to miss the birds’ breeding season. On-board observers in some fisheries also help to guarantee that catches are albatross-friendly, enabling markets and consumers to avoid illegally fished products.
Seabird mortality has dropped in places where longline fishing boats have used these measures, but many fisheries have not implemented the deterrents.
"To save these birds from extinction, the fishing industry, government and conservationists need to collaborate to devise simple, innovative and effective initiatives to reduce seabird mortality across all oceanic waters, regardless of their jurisdiction," said Cleo Small. "This kind of collaboration will ensure that albatrosses continue to grace the world’s oceans – rather than being confined to history."
Sources: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, BirdLife International
 | Xanthe Pamboris is a British freelance wildlife writer with five years' experience at the BBC's Natural History Unit. |
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