Population dynamics of the wandering albatross on Macquarie Island and the effects of mortality from longline fishing

From the abstract of one of the referenced papers: The estimated breeding population of wandering albatrosses on Macquarie Island increased from 17 in 1956 to a maximum of 97 in 1966, and then declined at an average rate of 8.1% per year. Mark-recapture analysis shows that the population is not closed (ie subject to immigration and emigration). The decline is correlated with the onset of large-scale fishing for tuna in the southern hemisphere using longlines. The effect of longline mortality on the population dynamics of the wandering albatross is estimated. An annual number of longline hooks in the southern hemisphere tuna fishery of 41.6 million is calculated as the ceiling below which the population would begin to recover. Part of these data were collected as part of ASAC project 751 (ASAC_751), 'Status and conservation of albatrosses on Macquarie Island'.

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Published (Metadata Record) 02/03/2026
Last updated 03/03/2026
Organisation Australian Federal Government
License License Not Specified
Update Frequency Unknown