 |
|
Fisheries linked to decline in Galapagos waved albatross population
October 04, 2006Fishermen caught and killed about 1 percent of the world's waved albatrosses in a year, according to a new study by Wake Forest University biologists.
"If that happens every year, that is not sustainable," said Jill Awkerman, a Wake Forest graduate student who is the lead author of the study published online Sept. 26 in the journal Biological Conservation. "In a matter of decades, you could be talking about extinction."
She worked with David Anderson, professor of biology at Wake Forest, on the study. Since 1999, Anderson and his research team have studied survival rates of waved albatrosses on Española Island in the Galapagos Islands, located off the coast of Ecuador. Española is a small island where almost all of the waved albatrosses in the world nest and breed.
Identification bands from 23 waved albatrosses killed in 2005 were returned to the researchers by fishermen. The researchers put bands on a total of 2,550 albatrosses, so almost one out of every 100 birds is being killed unintentionally or intentionally by fishermen.
As part of the study, the researchers and colleagues in Peru also surveyed 37 major fishing communities to investigate albatross interactions with fisheries in the main areas where they forage for food off the Peruvian coast. They sent observers out on fishing vessels to find out what happens when fishermen encounter the giant seabirds. The observers found that some albatrosses became tangled accidentally in submerged gillnets. Although some of the birds caught in nets could be released, fishermen often killed them for food instead. The fishermen also intentionally caught albatrosses on baited hooks.
More males (82 percent of all captures) were killed than females, Awkerman said. That is particularly troubling because albatrosses require both parents to raise chicks. Fewer males in the population limit the number of breeding pairs. For a species that depends on a lifespan of several decades to successfully reproduce even one offspring that outlives the parent, the implications of their shortened lives are grim.
"Fishing mortality could be partially responsible for an apparent decline in the breeding population," Awkerman said. "Our study puts together a frightening picture of what the potential for this species is. But, with educational outreach and further research there is potential to turn this around before too much damage is done."
Communicating with the fishermen about the consequences to the species of killing each waved albatross is the key, Awkerman said. Collaborators in Peru continue discussions with both fishermen and government officials to address these conservation concerns. "Our study has already had a positive political effect, alerting the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Ministries of Environment of the problem occurring in their two countries, and they have recently had meetings to begin to deal with it," Anderson said.
Wake Forest University
Albatross Current Events and Albatross News RSSKing crab family bigger than ever
Sally Hall, a PhD student at the University of Southampton's School of Ocean and Earth Science (SOES) at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) has formally described four new species of king crab, all from the deep sea.
Annual Survey Shows High Numbers of Seed Scallops on Georges Bank, Low Numbers in Mid-Atlantic
A NOAA Fisheries scallop survey off the northeastern coast between North Carolina and Massachusetts shows high numbers of juvenile "recruit" sea scallops and ocean quahogs on Georges Bank tempered with weak numbers for seed scallops in the Mid-Atlantic for 2009.
New NOAA report offers in-depth look at Northwestern Hawaiian islands marine life, ecosystems
A new NOAA report on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), protected by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, provides the sharpest picture yet of the region's marine life and ecosystems.
Scientists Uncover a Dramatic Rise in Sea Level and Its Broad Ramifications
Scientists have found proof in Bermuda that the planet's sea level was once more than 21 meters (70 feet) higher about 400,000 years ago than it is now. Their findings were published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews Wednesday, Feb. 4.
New study reveals large scale conservation essential
Scientists were surprised with findings of a recent study that reveals many animal species believed to persist in small contained areas actually need broad, landscape level conservation to survive.
Wandering Albatrosses Follow Their Nose
The first study of how individual wandering albatrosses find food shows that the birds rely heavily on their sense of smell. The birds can pick up a scent from several miles away, U.S. and French researchers have found.
Observing sustainable tourism in Antarctica
"Antarctica is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in natural history but it also challenges those people who visit to think broadly about our responsibilities to all life on Earth." That's the view of Dr Robert Lambert, a lecturer on Tourism and the Environment at The University of Nottingham, who has just returned from the Antarctic in his role as an Observer for the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
Unveiling the underwater ways of the white shark
It's hard to study a creature when you only catch fleeting glimpses of it. Up until recently, that was one of the big stumbling blocks for marine biologists and ecologists, but advances in electronic tracking technology have allowed them to peer farther across, and deeper under, the surface of the oceans than ever before.
Marine scientists warn human safety, prosperity depend on better ocean observing system
Speedy diagnosis of the temper and vital signs of the oceans matters increasingly to the well being of humanity, says a distinguished partnership of international scientists urging support to complete a world marine monitoring system within 10 years.
Albatross study shows regional differences in ocean contamination
As long-lived predators at the top of the marine food chain, albatrosses accumulate toxic contaminants such as PCBs, DDT, and mercury in their bodies. A new study has found dramatic differences in contaminant levels between two closely related albatross species that forage in different areas of the North Pacific.
More Albatross Current Events and Albatross News Articles
 |
Albatross by Josie Bloss (Author)
He was music, everything else was noise. Everyone at Tess's new school warns her that Micah is bad news-a heartbreaker. And a girl named Daisy is acting like she owns him. Still, Tess can't ignore her attraction to this brooding, brilliant, friendless emo guy who can turn on the charm-or heart-shredding scorn-at a moment's notice. Starting over in a new town after her parents' split isn't easy for Tess, and Micah feels like her first real connection. But then their bond suddenly feels like shackles. Caught in an obsessive triangle of jealousy and codependence, can Tess learn to break away and find herself again? "Taut and emotionally wrenching . . . I couldn't put it down. Josie Bloss is an author... |
 |
Albatross by The Classic Crime |
 |
Albatross: The True Story of a Woman's Survival at Sea by Deborah Scaling Kiley (Author), Meg Noonan (Author) A harrowing true tale of shipwreck and survival recounts the experiences of five people adrift in a dinghy and surrounded by sharks, as one by one they begin to die while waiting to be rescued. 35,000 first printing. National ad/promo. Tour. |
 |
Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival by Carl Safina (Author) “One of the most delightful natural history studies in decades.” —The Boston Globe Eye of the Albatross takes us soaring to locales where whales, sea turtles, penguins, and shearwaters flourish in their own quotidian rhythms. Carl Safina’s guide and inspiration is an albatross he calls Amelia, whose life and far-flung flights he describes in fascinating detail. Interwoven with recollections of whalers and famous explorers, Eye of the Albatross probes the unmistakable environmental impact of the encounters between man and marine life. Safina’s perceptive and authoritative portrait results in a transforming ride to the ends of the Earth for the reader, as well as an eye-opening look at the health of our oceans. |
 |
Albatross Corrosion Of Conformity (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Albatross: Their World, Their Ways by Tui De Roy (Author), Mark Jones (Author), Julian Fritter (Author) The magic and misfortune of the world's greatest migrating bird. Albatross are best known for their enormous wingspan and global migrations. They are also the subject of intense scientific scrutiny. Recent DNA studies have revealed that there may not be just 13, but 21 to 25 albatross species. With all but two of them endangered, the albatross may disappear just as we are discovering more about it. Tui De Roy and Mark Jones set out in a 43-foot sailboat to cross the world's oceans in search of the albatross. They weathered storms, finally arriving to camp on barren landfalls, where they studied and photographed these fascinating birds. Albatross features the very best writing and research on these extraordinary creatures. The book includes a breathtaking... |
 |
Albatross Family Album by Albatross The third release from former Ace Fu and GSL Recording artist. Previous tours with such artists as Daughters, The Unicorns, Don Caballero, Lightning Bolt, The Apes, Melt Banana, Dillinger Escape Plan, Blue Cheer, and DMBQ. Calling all Lazer Vikings abroad - we have heard your call and it is our mission to gather the like-minded, beautiful and gifted humans together to facilitate a nonstop musical orgasm until we pass through the jeweled gates of rock 'n' roll Valhalla! |
 |
Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World (Princeton Field Guides) by Derek Onley (Author), Paul Scofield (Author) This is the first comprehensive field guide to the world's 136 species of albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels. Because many of these birds spend most of their lives far from the coast, traveling from ocean to ocean in a constant search for food, they are poorly known, enigmatic, and often hard to identify in the field. This guide will make field identification much easier. It illustrates every species and shows the distinct plumages of each. It contains 46 high-quality color plates opposite concise descriptions and a color distribution map, with more complete species descriptions following. Species are illustrated on the same page as their confusion species, allowing direct comparisons for more accurate identifications. This field guide includes... |
 |
Albatross by Fleetwood Mac, Christine Perfect Swedish reissue of 1977 compilation with Christine Perfect performing 8 of the 16 tracks. |
 |
Albatross Fleetwood Mac (Primary Contributor) |
| © 2010 BrightSurf.com |