World-first project tracks rare Antipodean albatross

More than 800 kilometres southeast of Bluff lies the subantarctic Antipodes Island. Rugged and windswept, it is one of the most remote places on earth and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, isolation and protection have combined to form a landscape brimming with biodiversity: New Zealand fur seals, subantarctic snipes, erect-crested penguins, and the endemic Antipodean albatross are just some of the species that call the island home.

It was the latter which saw Jamie Darby, a visiting University of Auckland researcher from University College Cork in Ireland, make the three-day boat trip to the desolate island. There he joined Department of Conservation researchers in a world-first tracking project supported by WWF-New Zealand, the University of Auckland Foundation, and the School of Biological Sciences.

“The Antipodean albatross is extremely rare and almost exclusively found on Antipodes Island,” says Jamie.

“They recently experienced a massive population crash, with two thirds of the population disappearing in less than a generation’s length.”

Because the birds don’t breed until they are around ten years old and, at best, produce one egg per year, population recovery is incredibly slow: “It takes a very long time to recruit back into the population, which means we are now in a critical period to ensure their outlook is more favourable”.

Today, approximately 3,000 breeding pairs remain on the island, with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 individuals left in the world. The cause of this dramatic population decline? Interactions with commercial fishing boats, says Jamie.

“Almost certainly that population crash was because of fisheries bycatch. Boats set long lines with baited hooks, mostly in the open ocean, which unfortunately albatross are attracted to. They know it’s food, so they go to pick up an easy meal, get snagged on the hooks, and pulled under the water.”

By tracking the birds, the researchers hope to learn more about their behaviour at sea to inform ways of preventing fisheries bycatch and, ultimately, slow the species’ decline. To do so, they attached bespoke GPS units to the birds while they were nesting. This relatively straightforward process involved scooping a bird off its nest while gently holding its beak, covering its egg for warmth, and attaching the device to its back.

“Because the albatross don’t know what we are, they don’t see us as a threat and you can approach them quite closely,” Jamie explains.

“The whole process takes less than ten minutes, and by the time you’ve retreated a small distance, the bird is back sitting on the nest as if nothing happened.”

Another significant discovery was that the Antipodean albatross spends most of its time in the high seas, out of New Zealand’s jurisdiction. This means that protective measures need to go beyond national-level fisheries management and draw from an international community.

More work is needed to quantify the team’s early findings, and Jamie hopes to return to the island to expand their research.

“The data collected to date was made possible thanks to WWF-New Zealand, the University of Auckland Foundation, and the School of Biological Sciences, who funded the tracking devices,” says Jamie.

“That was really appreciated, as was DOC’s support with transportation to the island. If resources allow, we will return and bulk up the sample size so we can put forward a stronger case for the changes needed.”

Seldom seen by humans, the Antipodean albatross is often overlooked – but this rare and charismatic bird deserves our attention and protection, says Jamie.

“They do incredible things. Imagine them out on the open ocean, flying at over 100 kilometres an hour in pitch black darkness. They're extreme animals, and the more you learn about them the more mind-blowing it gets.”