Population Ecology and Conservation of a Threatened Group of Long-lived Aquatic Birds

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

Albatrosses are unique among birds because of their complex life cycles and because they are linked to the oceanic environment at the largest scales. They are also one of the most threatened groups of species, the greatest threat coming from incidental mortality in longline fisheries. The goal of this project is to analyze long-term data on populations of the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys), and Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) on Bird Island, South Georgia, where data have been collected since 1968 by the British Antarctic Survey. Population models will be developed from these data and used to characterize the short- and long-term dynamics of the population, the results of perturbations, and the effects of environmental factors and human-induced mortality. Model parameters will be estimated using newly developed statistical procedures adapted to the biology of albatrosses. Models will be analyzed using deterministic methods in preparation for later studies of stochastic models. The research has broader impacts in the areas of societal benefits and education. Its results will have important implications for albatross conservation. A series of workshops will bring together an international group of scientists working on other albatross populations, carry out comparative analyses, and apply the results to population management. The workshops will include participants involved in international conservation efforts, and guarantee the ``broad dissemination'' of research results. Research methods and results will also be incorporated into graduate coursework in the WHOI/MIT Joint Program in Oceanography.