Rationale (Changed due to Application of criteria)

The Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta is listed as globally Near Threatened with populations approaching but not exceeding the 30% decline threshold for classification as Vulnerable. The species does not breed on the Prince Edward Islands but occurs in large numbers in South African waters. Accordingly, the global status is adopted and the Shy Albatross is classified as regionally Near Threatened. The classification of this albatross is disputed, and any changes in its species-level taxonomy will necessitate a re-evaluation of its conservation status.

Distribution

The nominate subspecies T. c. cauta breeds exclusively at three islands off Tasmania, namely Albatross, Pedra Branca and Mewstone (Gales 1998). It has an unusually restricted foraging range with non-breeding and breeding adults remaining in close proximity to their breeding grounds, while immature and juvenile birds disperse westwards to South Africa (Marchant and Higgins 1990) and the South Atlantic Ocean (Tickell 2000). In South African waters, newly fledged juvenile birds arrive off Eastern Cape mid to late August and off Western Cape from late August to September. T. c. steadi breeds on Disappointment, Auckland and Adams islands in the Auckland Islands group, Bollon's Island in the Antipodes Islands group and occasionally on the Forty-Fours in the Chatham Islands group (Robertson et al. 1997). Juveniles and non-breeding adults are thought to range throughout the waters of southern Australia and South Africa (Thompson and Sagar 2007). Baker et al. (2007) reported that 95% of Shy-type albatrosses killed by longliners in South African waters are T. c. steadi.

Habitat View more ecological information

Population

BirdLife International (2014) provides a global population estimate of c. 92 000 pairs. As of 2011, there were c. 5 200 pairs of T. c. cauta at Albatross Island, c. 170 pairs at Pedra Branca and c. 9 500 pairs at Mewstone Island. The quality of data is influenced by the accessibility of the breeding sites. Approximately 77 000 pairs of T. c. steadi breed on the Auckland Islands (ACAP 2011). There is a suggestion that this species might be a biennial breeder, in which case the number of adults would require review (ACAP 2011). Confidence in this population and subsequent trend justification is medium.

Population trend

The global population is thought to be undergoing a decline. Colonies of the nominate subspecies on Pedra Branca are in steep decline while the population trend of the Mewstone Island colony is unknown. While counts of T. c. steadi have indicated an increase from 75 000 breeding pairs in 1993 (Gales 1998) to a current figure of 97 000 pairs in 2007 (Baker et al. 2009), these estimates were not based on comparable methodologies. Counts since 2007 are comparable with current estimates and unfortunately seem to indicate a population in substantial decline (BirdLife International 2014). The reported figures of bycatch (BirdLife International 2014), which include substantial numbers of Shy Albatross, seem to reinforce the conclusion that this species is undergoing a decline. However, 2007-2011 counts indicate a highly variable inter-annual population and the possibility of a biennially breeding species indicating that the decline is not as steep as previously thought. Consequently, this rapid population decline cannot yet be confirmed and the confidence in the global trend estimate is low.

Threats

At-sea mortalities, due to commercial fishing operations, is the primary threat to Shy Albatrosses with over 8 500 birds being killed annually in South African, Namibian and New Zealand demersal trawl fisheries and the South African pelagic longline fishery (Baker et al. 2007). In the latter fishery, birds were reported to be caught at a rate of 0.09 per 1 000 hooks set and comprised a quarter of the albatrosses killed (Petersen et al. 2009a), amounting to c. 600 birds being caught per year. The majority of individuals caught (73%) were juvenile/immature birds (Petersen et al. 2009a). The South African demersal trawl fishery was responsible for killing c. 5 000 birds per year (Petersen et al. 2009b), but this has now been virtually eliminated (Maree et al. 2014). The vulnerability of both adult and juvenile T. c. steadi to incidental mortality during fishing operations appears to be much greater than for T. c. cauta, as they occur over a wider geographic range throughout their lives. Land-based threats include avian pox virus, which was detected on Albatross Island; the demographic consequences are un­known (Woods 2004).

Conservation

Underway

Internationally the Shy Albatross is protected by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels - Annex 1 and by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species - Appendix II. The species is considered regionally Vulnerable under the National Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act 1999) and State (Tasmanian Government Threatened Species Protection Act 1995) legislation. Within the region it is protected under the Sea Birds and Seals Protection Act, 1973 (Act No. 46 of 1973), Marine Living Resources Act (Act No. 18 of 1998): Publication of Policy on the Management of Seals, Seabirds and Shorebirds: 2007 and the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Reducing the Incidental Catch on Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (2008).

Proposed

The South African offshore demersal trawl fishery was a ‘very high impact' fishery for seabirds overall, and in particular, for Shy Albatross, accounting for 60% of estimated mortality while the longline fishery accounts for 7% of global mortality estimates (Baker et al. 2007). While the impact of the trawl fishery in South Africa appears to have abated, is it essential that measures to prevent bycatch are implemented in all longline and trawl fisheries, including on the high seas. Furthermore, the range of this species extends into Namibia, where there are currently no measures required to reduce seabird bycatch in any of their fisheries. The Namibian government and fishing industry should remedy that situation as a matter of urgency.

Research

* Of primary importance is to determine if the species is a biennial or annual breeder, or (more accurately) the frequency distribution of inter-annual breeding periodicities, which may vary between colonies and will vary between years within colonies.

* Determine what is the provenance (at the level of colony) of individuals killed in various fisheries in the Indian and east Atlantic oceans.

* Investigate what proportion of birds venture into Namibian waters, where there are currently no mandatory measures to reduce seabird bycatch in any fishery. A subsidiary question relates to the impact of Namibian fisheries on the species' population.