In a little more than a decade, we have lost two-thirds of the population. About 2,300 die each year, mostly killed by longline fishing vessels.
Under the current projected decline only about 400 breeding pairs may remain in 2050.
There are mitigation measures that can significantly reduce seabird bycatch. That can stop Antipodean albatrosses from dying.
These are all effective. Even more so when using all three at once. But in New Zealand only two are required, and other mitigation measures to prevent seabird bycatch are just recommended.
Two years on from the introduction of the National Plan of Action-Seabirds 2020, Antipodean albatross are still dying on fishing lines.
The recommended mitigation measures can reduce seabird bycatch but while they remain voluntary and largely unmonitored, they won’t be enough to save these majestic birds from drowning.
Each death puts this wide-ranging and slow-breeding species at risk of extinction, worsening the significant and dramatic population decline that has been happening since 2007.
To save the Antipodean albatross from extinction, we are working with the fishing industry, government and other parties to protect them in New Zealand waters and beyond.
Together, we can save the Antipodean albatross.