The Short-Tailed Albatross: One Eruption Away From Destruction

Posted By: Mark Luzi

Mating pair of albatross. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The Facts

Common Name: Short-Tailed Albatross

Scientific Name: Phoebastria Albatrus

Status: Endangered

Listing Date: July 31, 2000

Plan Date: September 17, 2008



The Animal

The short-tailed albatross is a large Northern Pacific bird which can be found primarily on the island of Torishima, Japan. While being the largest of the other species in the region, the short-tailed albatross can most easily be identified by its full white back once it has reached adulthood with the addition of their large pink bills. It was once believed that this species had gone extinct prior to WWII due to feather hunters, however a small amount managed to survive out on the open sea before returning to the main nesting grounds of Torishima. While their main nesting grounds are in Japan, they have been spotted in the Hawaiian Islands as well as on the western coast of the United States.

The Threats

Active Volcano of Torishima Island. Photo from volcano.si.edu

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this species is the reason as to why they have been declining and are currently in a state between recovery and extinction. While the efforts to maintain the populations is effective and working, the unpredictable nature of natural occurring events is what could ultimately disrupt this species day to day activity. The island of Torishima (their main nesting area) is not only an island, but an active volcano. Although science has advanced to help predict these events, they cannot be pinpointed exactly as to time and scale. Based on historical data and research, in the case of an eruption the short-tailed albatross could lose about 54% of their entire population. Another main natural event that could devastate the population is the occurrence of monsoons in the region. The nesting area on Torishima is situated on a volcanic ash slope with any type of storm resulting in large mudslides and erosion. While these two events may not wipe out the population with deaths, the destruction of a breeding area will halt all reproduction. Unlike natural events, human intervention in the form of longline fisheries are killing off the population first hand due to accidental bycatch.

The Plan Criteria

• The total breeding population of short-tailed albatross reaches a minimum of 1000 pairs; (population totaling 4000 or more birds)
• The 3-year running average growth rate of the population as a whole is ≥6% for ≥7 years;
• At least 250 breeding pairs exist on 2 island groups other than Torishima, each exhibiting ≥6% growth for ≥7 years;
• A minimum of 75 pairs occur on a site or sites other than Torishima and the Senkaku Islands

                                                                                       The Plan

Decoy Albatross on Torishima. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

While there any many steps related to the recovery plan of the species, the three most important include: maintaining the population on Torishima, relocating nesting areas to non-volcanic islands, and avoiding bycatch. In terms of maintaining the current population, efforts have been made to control erosion on the island as to provide a stable area for breeding to occur. Coupled with breeding, decoys and sound systems have been placed on a safer side of their regular island in an attempt to relocate events to a more stable area as well. While it is easier to fix their current island, researchers and teams of experts have been attempting to find one or more new nesting colonies which are not located on active volcanos. As with most methods, research is the first step to making this goal come true. Once the site has been selected, a team must prepare the island for inhabitance such as basic site management. Once this is done, decoys and sound systems must once again be used to attract the new groups coming in. While the research and data may be correct, it is always good to test translocation with another species before attempting with an endangered one. To fully correct the bycatch problem, heavy research must first be done, however due to the fact that most of the deaths caused by longline fisheries are accidental, the only way to truly eliminate this threat is to physically halt all longline fishing in certain regions. Minimizing certain actions may help in the short run, but with this area, outlawing this type of harvesting will help these birds the most. 

References

U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/090520.pdf

Wildscreen Arkive: http://www.arkive.org/short-tailed-albatross/phoebastria-albatrus/

Natural Museum of Natural History: http://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=284090