Thalassarche melanophrys

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PROCELLARIIFORMES	DIOMEDEIDAE

Scientific Name:

Thalassarche melanophrys

Species Authority:

(Temminck, 1828)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Black-browed Albatross

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Endangered A4bd ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Calvert, R., Butchart, S., Bird, J.

Contributor/s:

Huin, N., Robertson, G., Croxall, J., Phillips, R., Arata, J.

Justification:
This species is listed as Endangered because it is estimated to be declining at a very rapid rate over three generations (65 years) on the basis of current rates of decline at the large breeding colonies in the south-west Atlantic. These declines have been attributed to the impact of incidental mortality in longline and trawl fisheries.

History:

2008	–	Endangered
2005	–	Endangered
2004	–	Endangered
2003	–	Endangered
2002	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Not Recognized
1988	–	Not Recognized

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Thalassarche melanophrys has a circumpolar distribution ranging from subtropical to polar waters⁴³, breeding in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Islas Diego Ramirez, Ildefonso, Diego de Almagro and Isla Evangelistas (Chile), South Georgia (Georgias del Sur), Crozet and Kerguelen Islands (French Southern Territories), Heard and McDonald Islands and Macquarie Island (Australia), and Campbell and Antipodes Islands, New Zealand¹. Two breeding sites are also found in southern Chile on islets in Tierra del Fuego and in the Mallaganes region⁴³. One colony was also recorded on Snares Island in 1986⁴³. The total breeding population was estimated at c.680,000 pairs in 1998, 80% at the Falkland Islands, 10% at South Georgia and 3% in Chile¹. More recent data revised this to c.600,853 pairs, 67% in the Falkland Islands, 12% at South Georgia and 20% in Chile^27,28,29. Populations at Bird Island (11% of the South Georgia total) declined by 4% per annum between 1989-1990 and 2003-2004²⁹, and the population on Kerguelen declined by 17% between 1978-1979 and 1994-1995¹³. Numbers at Diego Ramirez may have decreased during the 1980s and recovered recently^10,19. Numbers in the Falklands apparently increased substantially during the 1980s^1,4, probably attributable to abundant offal and discards from trawl fisheries¹². However, two full censuses of the Falkland Islands population has shown declines at most colonies, with a sharp decrease at Steeple Jason and Beauchêne islands (70% of the Falklands total)²⁷. Currently the Falklands population is declining at 0.7% per annum²⁷, though some colonies have increased in size; the trends are not consistent between years and sites, and even between sub-colonies within the sites. In addition, some colonies surveyed using aerial photography have reportedly shown increases between 21 and 141%⁴¹. The small population on Heard Island (c.600 pairs) appears to have increased over the past 50 years²². The combination of trends across colonies and, in particular, the declines in the Falklands, South Georgia and Kerguelen, indicate an overall decline of 67% over 64 years (three generations).
Countries:	Native: Angola; Antarctica; Argentina; Australia; Brazil; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories (the); Heard Island and McDonald Islands; Namibia; New Zealand; Peru; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; United States; Uruguay Vagrant: Denmark; Fiji Present - origin uncertain: Bouvet Island; Ecuador; French Polynesia; Madagascar; Mozambique; Norfolk Island; Saint Helena
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The total population of 600,852 breeding pairs (equating to 1,220,000 mature individuals) is made up of 399,416 pairs in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (Huin and Reid 2007), 74,296 pairs in South Georgia (Poncet et al. 2006) 122,000 pairs in Chile (Robertson et al. 2007) and other populations (Antipodes, Campbell, Heard and MacDonald, Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie, Snares) (Gales 1998).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

The total population of 600,852 breeding pairs (equating to 1,220,000 mature individuals) is made up of 399,416 pairs in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (Huin and Reid 2007), 74,296 pairs in South Georgia (Poncet et al. 2006) 122,000 pairs in Chile (Robertson et al. 2007) and other populations (Antipodes, Campbell, Heard and MacDonald, Crozet, Kerguelen, Macquarie, Snares) (Gales 1998).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This is a colonial, annually breeding species, although only 75% of successful breeders and 67% of failed breeders breed the following year. Individuals arrive at colonies in September, laying in early October with chicks hatching in December and fledging between April and May. Immature birds begin return to land at the age of two with the numbers of returning birds increasing up to the age of six. The median age of first breeding is 10 years (range 8-13)⁴³. During incubation, breeding birds tend to remain in areas adjacent to or to the north of their colonies in the shelf, shelf-break and shelf-slope waters⁴³. At Campbell Island, Black-browed Albatross show a unique bimodal foraging strategy, alternating between short trips to shelf areas around the breeding site and long trips to the Polar Front³⁷. Birds foraging over the Benguela Current during the winter also showed a bimodal feeding strategy, alternating trips over deep, oceanic waters with trips over the continental shelf⁴⁰. During incubation on the Falkland Islands, satellite tracking reveals males and females forage in different areas with almost no overlap³⁸. After breeding, birds from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) winter on the Patagonian Shelf³⁶, whereas birds from South Georgia predominantly migrate to South African waters, spending the first half of the winter in the highly productive Benguela Current³². Black-browed Albatross from Chile make use of the Chilean Shelf, the Patagonian Shelf, and some spend the non-breeding season around north New Zealand. Habitat Breeding The species nests colonially on steep slopes with tussock grass, sometimes on cliff terraces, but the largest colonies in the Falklands are on flat ground along the shore line. Diet It feeds mainly on crustaceans, fish and squid, and also on carrion and fishery discards^33,34,35. The exact composition of its diet varies depending on locality and year⁴³. Foraging Range During chick-rearing, breeding T. melanophrys initially stay in shelf to shelf-slope areas very close to their colonies (within c. 500 km). Later, birds from Chile and South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) may also travel up to c. 3,000 km from their breeding sites, especially to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands, but birds from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Kerguelen continue to remain close to their colonies⁴³.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This is a colonial, annually breeding species, although only 75% of successful breeders and 67% of failed breeders breed the following year. Individuals arrive at colonies in September, laying in early October with chicks hatching in December and fledging between April and May. Immature birds begin return to land at the age of two with the numbers of returning birds increasing up to the age of six. The median age of first breeding is 10 years (range 8-13)⁴³. During incubation, breeding birds tend to remain in areas adjacent to or to the north of their colonies in the shelf, shelf-break and shelf-slope waters⁴³. At Campbell Island, Black-browed Albatross show a unique bimodal foraging strategy, alternating between short trips to shelf areas around the breeding site and long trips to the Polar Front³⁷. Birds foraging over the Benguela Current during the winter also showed a bimodal feeding strategy, alternating trips over deep, oceanic waters with trips over the continental shelf⁴⁰. During incubation on the Falkland Islands, satellite tracking reveals males and females forage in different areas with almost no overlap³⁸. After breeding, birds from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) winter on the Patagonian Shelf³⁶, whereas birds from South Georgia predominantly migrate to South African waters, spending the first half of the winter in the highly productive Benguela Current³². Black-browed Albatross from Chile make use of the Chilean Shelf, the Patagonian Shelf, and some spend the non-breeding season around north New Zealand. Habitat Breeding The species nests colonially on steep slopes with tussock grass, sometimes on cliff terraces, but the largest colonies in the Falklands are on flat ground along the shore line. Diet It feeds mainly on crustaceans, fish and squid, and also on carrion and fishery discards^33,34,35. The exact composition of its diet varies depending on locality and year⁴³. Foraging Range During chick-rearing, breeding T. melanophrys initially stay in shelf to shelf-slope areas very close to their colonies (within c. 500 km). Later, birds from Chile and South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur) may also travel up to c. 3,000 km from their breeding sites, especially to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands, but birds from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Kerguelen continue to remain close to their colonies⁴³.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Declines may be attributable to increased longline fishing effort and/or the development of new longline fisheries over much of the Patagonian Shelf, around South Georgia, off the southern African coast, and in the Southern Ocean^8,9,11,15. Indeed, it is one of the most frequently killed species in many longline fisheries including tuna longliners off southern Africa, the pelagic longline swordfish fishery off Chile and Argentine longlingers targetting toothfish and kingclip on the Patagonian shel^{5,9,11,16,17,18,23,39}. Capture rates can vary greatly according to season, number of hooks and type of longline³⁹. Over recent years, mortality in trawl fisheries has been identified as a major source of mortality for this species over the Patagonian Shelf²⁰ and South Africa³⁰, with an estimated minimum 5,000 killed per annum across the deep-water hake trawl fishery in south African waters during winter⁴². Recent large-scale volcanic eruptions at Heard Island (2003-2004 in particular) may have caused most birds to desert nesting sites⁴³. The explosion in European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus numbers on Macquarie Island since 1999 has led to an extensive destruction of habitat and soil erosion at nesting sites. An eradication programme which will also target rodents is planned to commence in 2010. Cats (Felis catus) are thought to impact upon colonies on the Kerguelen Islands at Jeanne d'Arc Peninsula.⁴³

Major Threat(s):

Declines may be attributable to increased longline fishing effort and/or the development of new longline fisheries over much of the Patagonian Shelf, around South Georgia, off the southern African coast, and in the Southern Ocean^8,9,11,15. Indeed, it is one of the most frequently killed species in many longline fisheries including tuna longliners off southern Africa, the pelagic longline swordfish fishery off Chile and Argentine longlingers targetting toothfish and kingclip on the Patagonian shel^{5,9,11,16,17,18,23,39}. Capture rates can vary greatly according to season, number of hooks and type of longline³⁹. Over recent years, mortality in trawl fisheries has been identified as a major source of mortality for this species over the Patagonian Shelf²⁰ and South Africa³⁰, with an estimated minimum 5,000 killed per annum across the deep-water hake trawl fishery in south African waters during winter⁴². Recent large-scale volcanic eruptions at Heard Island (2003-2004 in particular) may have caused most birds to desert nesting sites⁴³. The explosion in European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus numbers on Macquarie Island since 1999 has led to an extensive destruction of habitat and soil erosion at nesting sites. An eradication programme which will also target rodents is planned to commence in 2010. Cats (Felis catus) are thought to impact upon colonies on the Kerguelen Islands at Jeanne d'Arc Peninsula.⁴³

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. It is monitored at South Georgia, Kerguelen, Campbell, Diego Ramirez and the Falkland Islands. Most breeding sites are reserves. Heard and McDonald, Macquarie, and the New Zealand islands are World Heritage Sites. An initial census of Chilean islands has been completed²¹. Conservation Actions Proposed Continue monitoring and research programmes at all sites. Conduct complete censuses at all sites at regular intervals (South Georgia, Chile, Falkland Islands [Islas Malvinas] and French Southern Territories). Assess the impact of trawl fisheries bycatch . Continue to develop mitigation strategies for trawl fisheries, notably on the Patagonian Shelf and South Africa. Promote adoption of a) monitoring of seabirds bycatch associated with longline fishing and b) best-practice mitigation measures in all fisheries within the species's range, including via intergovernmental mechanisms under the auspices of ACAP, FAO and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations such as CCAMLR and the tuna commissions of the Atlantic Ocean (ICCAT).

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. It is monitored at South Georgia, Kerguelen, Campbell, Diego Ramirez and the Falkland Islands. Most breeding sites are reserves. Heard and McDonald, Macquarie, and the New Zealand islands are World Heritage Sites. An initial census of Chilean islands has been completed²¹.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Continue monitoring and research programmes at all sites. Conduct complete censuses at all sites at regular intervals (South Georgia, Chile, Falkland Islands [Islas Malvinas] and French Southern Territories). Assess the impact of trawl fisheries bycatch . Continue to develop mitigation strategies for trawl fisheries, notably on the Patagonian Shelf and South Africa. Promote adoption of a) monitoring of seabirds bycatch associated with longline fishing and b) best-practice mitigation measures in all fisheries within the species's range, including via intergovernmental mechanisms under the auspices of ACAP, FAO and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations such as CCAMLR and the tuna commissions of the Atlantic Ocean (ICCAT).

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Thalassarche melanophrys. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012.
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