The Shy Albatross is one of a number of albatross species that breed on sub-Antarctic islands around the world. Their population has halved in the last 35 years and some of the greatest threat comes from fishing boats that catch and kill the birds on hooks set for fish. Collectively the world’s seabirds consume more than our entire global fisheries and would have consumed ten times more, before populations collapsed by almost 90%. Imagine for a moment that we can overfish all the oceans but seabirds consuming ten times that amount had no negative effect at all. These abundant migratory animals travel huge distances and are actually responsible for creating some of the oceans’ greatest hotspots – the very same places we fish. Ironically, our fishing industry is killing the golden goose … or albatross. If we do not address seabird decline, it will become a huge problem for our future food security and fisheries, not to mention the impact it has on our climate and ocean ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More.
Articles that use the Shy Albatross picture
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Shy Albatross, BirdLife Data Zone
This species breeds on just three islands. It may be susceptible to stochastic events and human activities, although one nesting site is moderately widely separated from the other two. For this reason it is treated as Near Threatened. The global population of Shy Albatross was estimated to be 12,000 to 19,000 pairs in 2009 (Alderman et al. 2011). Data submitted to ACAP estimated a total population of 15,350 pairs, made up of 5,200 pairs on Albatross Island … read more
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