Thalassarche chrysostoma

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 chrysostoma

Species Authority:

(Forster, 1785)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Grey-headed Albatross, Gray-headed Albatross, Grey-headed Mollymawk
French	–	Albatros À Tête Grise

Synonym/s:

Diomedea chrysostoma

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable A4bd ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

BirdLife International

Evaluator/s:

Butchart, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority), Small, C. & Sullivan, B. (BirdLife International Global Seabird Programme)

Justification:
This species is classified as Vulnerable because it is declining at a rapid rate over three generations (90 years), probably largely owing to incidental mortality on longline fisheries. If the severe declines observed at some sites also occur elsewhere, the species would warrant uplisting to Endangered.

History:

2007	–	Vulnerable
2005	–	Vulnerable
2004	–	Vulnerable
2003	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Lower Risk/near threatened
1988	–	Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Thalassarche chrysostoma breeds on South Georgia (Georgias del Sur), Islas Diego Ramirez (Chile), Prince Edward and Marion Islands (South Africa), Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands (French Southern Territories), Campbell Island (New Zealand) and Macquarie Island (Australia). The annual breeding population is c.99,000 pairs, equivalent to a total population of c.250,000 mature individuals in this biennially breeding bird^{20, 29}. Its range at sea while breeding lies largely within or south of the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone^12,15. At Marion Island, birds forage at the sub-tropical front during incubation¹⁷, where it interacts with tuna longline fishing operations¹⁹. During the non-breeding season, it disperses widely in all the southern oceans, and South Georgia birds have been recorded making one or more global circumnavigations, the fastest in just 46 days²². All New Zealand banded birds have been recovered west of New Zealand in Australian zone²⁸.
Countries:	Native: Antarctica; Argentina; Australia; Brazil; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories (the); Heard Island and McDonald Islands; Namibia; New Zealand; Saint Helena; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Uruguay Vagrant: Angola Present - origin uncertain: Peru
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – southwest; Atlantic – southeast; Atlantic – Antarctic; Indian Ocean – western; Indian Ocean – Antarctic; Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – southwest; Pacific – Antarctic; Pacific – southeast
Range Map:	(click map to view full version)

Population [top]

Population:	There are an estimated total of c.99,000 pairs breeding per year of this biennial species, based on annual breeding population estimates of 48,000 pairs on South Georgia (Poncet et al. 2006), c.6,200 pairs on Marion Island (Crawford et al. 2003, although noting that number of pairs fluctuates between years), 3,000 pairs on Prince Edward Island (Ryan et al. 2003), 7,800 pairs on Campbell Island (Moore 2004), 16,408 pairs in Chile (Arata and Moreno 2002), and populations on Macquarie Island, Crozet and Kerguelen as given in Gales (1998) (84, 5,940 and 7,905 pairs respectively). This sums to an estimate of c.99,000 pairs breeding each year, equivalent to at least 250,000 mature individuals (Croxall and Gales 1998, Brooke 2004).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

There are an estimated total of c.99,000 pairs breeding per year of this biennial species, based on annual breeding population estimates of 48,000 pairs on South Georgia (Poncet et al. 2006), c.6,200 pairs on Marion Island (Crawford et al. 2003, although noting that number of pairs fluctuates between years), 3,000 pairs on Prince Edward Island (Ryan et al. 2003), 7,800 pairs on Campbell Island (Moore 2004), 16,408 pairs in Chile (Arata and Moreno 2002), and populations on Macquarie Island, Crozet and Kerguelen as given in Gales (1998) (84, 5,940 and 7,905 pairs respectively). This sums to an estimate of c.99,000 pairs breeding each year, equivalent to at least 250,000 mature individuals (Croxall and Gales 1998, Brooke 2004).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species breeds biennially on steep slopes or cliffs, generally with tussock-grass. It feeds mainly on cephalopods and fish, but crustaceans, carrion and lampreys are locally important^{10,31, 32, 33}. It actively scavenges longline baits⁹.
Systems:	Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In Australian waters, up to c.400 individuals (>80% juvenile) were killed annually in 1989-1995 by Japanese longliners⁸. In the Indian Ocean, illegal or unregulated fishing for Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides killed an estimated 10,000-20,000 albatrosses (mainly this species) in 1997 and 1998^1,2,18. At Campbell, the long-term decline, which began well before local longline fishery development, appears to be caused by environmental factors, possibly rising sea-surface temperatures resulting in food shortages, but longline fisheries beyond the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) may also contribute¹⁴. The species is not caught on fishing vessels monitored by New Zealand observers within the EEZ²⁸.

Major Threat(s):

In Australian waters, up to c.400 individuals (>80% juvenile) were killed annually in 1989-1995 by Japanese longliners⁸. In the Indian Ocean, illegal or unregulated fishing for Patagonian toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides killed an estimated 10,000-20,000 albatrosses (mainly this species) in 1997 and 1998^1,2,18. At Campbell, the long-term decline, which began well before local longline fishery development, appears to be caused by environmental factors, possibly rising sea-surface temperatures resulting in food shortages, but longline fisheries beyond the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) may also contribute¹⁴. The species is not caught on fishing vessels monitored by New Zealand observers within the EEZ²⁸.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation actions underway: CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. Population monitoring and foraging studies are being undertaken at South Georgia, Diego Ramirez, Marion, Macquarie and Campbell Islands. Macquarie and Campbell are World Heritage Sites and the Prince Edward Islands are a Special Nature Reserve. Conservation actions proposed: Continue existing monitoring and commence at little-known sites⁷. Determine migration patterns in off seasons from other populations and overlap with fisheries, particularly those operating in the southern Indian Ocean. Promote adoption of best-practice mitigation measures in all fisheries within the species' range, particularly via intergovernmental mechanisms such as ACAP, CCAMLR and FAO.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation actions underway:

CMS Appendix II and ACAP Annex 1. Population monitoring and foraging studies are being undertaken at South Georgia, Diego Ramirez, Marion, Macquarie and Campbell Islands. Macquarie and Campbell are World Heritage Sites and the Prince Edward Islands are a Special Nature Reserve.

Conservation actions proposed:

Continue existing monitoring and commence at little-known sites⁷. Determine migration patterns in off seasons from other populations and overlap with fisheries, particularly those operating in the southern Indian Ocean. Promote adoption of best-practice mitigation measures in all fisheries within the species' range, particularly via intergovernmental mechanisms such as ACAP, CCAMLR and FAO.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Thalassarche chrysostoma. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2010.
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