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Albatross chicks reveal interactions of adults with artisanal longline fisheries within a short range

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Abstract

Incidental capture in fisheries (“bycatch”) is a major threat to global marine biodiversity, especially to those species with low fecundity, such as albatrosses. Efforts to reduce bycatch have been undertaken in industrial fisheries, but the scale of seabird interactions with artisanal or small-scale fleets remains largely unknown. The island of Torishima (Japan) is an important breeding site for two albatross species (short-tailed Phoebastria albatrus and black-footed P. nigripes) and also lies in the range of the artisanal longline fishery for the splendid alfonsino Beryx splendens. In February–March 2017, we tracked 23 foraging trips of adult P. nigripes feeding chicks by Global Positioning System (GPS) and monitored the prevalence of fishing gear at the nests using a metal detector. The foraging range of these albatrosses was a maximum of 280 km from Torishima, and only 3.7% of the GPS locations occurred over the shallow habitats targeted by the alfonsino fishery (water depth 150–500 m), suggesting relatively low risks of interaction. However, 190 (54.3%) nests of P. nigripes contained fishing gear, among which 12 (3.4%) nests or chicks contained a hook or an unidentified metallic object. Six hooks were also collected from P. albatrus nests. All found hooks, except one, originated from the alfonsino fishery, indicating that both targeted albatross species actually interacted with this fishery at sea. Both research approaches provided data from returning birds only and did not reflect possible lethal cases at sea. Monitoring the sub-lethal effects of bycatch and encouraging small-scale fisheries to report gear lost at sea are two possibilities to further help quantify and reduce the impact of fisheries on seabirds.

Zusammenfassung

Albatros-Küken machen Interaktionen zwischen den adulten Tieren und der mittelständischen Langleinen-Fischerei in Küstennähe sichtbar

Unbeabsichtigter Beifang in der Fischerei stellt eine massive Bedrohung für die marine Biodiversität dar, besonders für Arten mit niedriger Fruchtbarkeit wie die Albatrosse. Die industrielle Fischerei unternimmt Versuche, den Beifang zu reduzieren, aber die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Seevögeln und den kleineren, mittelständischen Fischereiflotten sind noch weitgehend unbekannt. Torishima (Japan) ist ein wichtiges Brutgebiet für zwei Albatrosarten (Kurzschwanzalbatros Phoebastria albatrus und Schwarzfußalbatros Phoebastria nigripes) und liegt im Bereich der mittelständischen Langleinen-Fischerei auf den Glänzenden Schleimkopf (Beryx splendens). Im Februar und März 2017 verfolgten wir per GPS 23 Nahrungssuche-Flüge von fütternden Schwarzfuß-Albatrossen und kontrollierten mit einem Metalldetektor, ob es bei den Nestern Fischereigerät oder Teile davon gab. Die Albatrosse suchten ihre Nahrung innerhalb von 280 km Entfernung von Torishima, und nur 3.7% aller GPS-Ortungen lagen über den seichten Habitaten der Schleimköpfe und den Fischern (150–500 m), was ein relativ niedriges Risiko für Interaktionen bedeuten könnte. Aber 190 (54.3%) aller Nester der Schwarzfuß-Albatrosse enthielten Teile von Fischereigerät, und 12 (3.4%) von diesen, oder Küken, enthielten einen Haken oder ein nicht identifizierbares Metallstück. Auch in sechs Nestern des Kurzschwanz-Albatros wurden Haken gefunden. Alle Haken bis auf einen stammten von der Schleimkopf-Fischerei, woraus geschlossen werden kann, dass es auf See in der Tat Interaktionen zwischen beiden Albatros-Arten und der Fischerei gibt. Beiden Untersuchungen lagen Daten von zurückkehrenden Vögeln zugrunde; sie machen also keine Aussagen über mögliche Todesfälle auf dem Wasser. Es wäre wünschenswert, die sublethalen Auswirkungen des Beifangs weiter zu untersuchen und die mittelständische Fischereiindustrie aufzufordern, Informationen über auf See verlorenes Fischereigerät zu geben, um den Einfluss der Fischerei auf Seevögel besser quantifizieren und verringern zu können.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Satoshi and Miwa Konno for their invaluable help in the field, and the crew of the fishing boat Housei Maru from Hachijojima for kindly transporting us to/from Torishima. The authors also thank Akinori Takahashi for his involvement in the organization of the field trips.

Funding

The study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid #26304029 and #15K14439, to Y. Watanuki) and the Japan Ministry of the Environment (to the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan

    Jean-Baptiste Thiebot

  2. Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3‑1‑1, Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido, 041‑8611, Japan

    Bungo Nishizawa & Yutaka Watanuki

  3. Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Konoyama 115, Abiko, Chiba, 270-1145, Japan

    Fumio Sato & Naoki Tomita

Authors
  1. Jean-Baptiste Thiebot
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  2. Bungo Nishizawa
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  3. Fumio Sato
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  4. Naoki Tomita
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  5. Yutaka Watanuki
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Correspondence to Jean-Baptiste Thiebot.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Permits to capture and tag birds on Torishima were obtained through the Japan Ministry of the Environment and Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Animal Ethics approvals were obtained through Hokkaido University.

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Communicated by C. Barbraud.

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(Video) A case of detected metal inside a chick. The observer (B Nishizawa) first tests the sensitivity of the metal detector on his wristwatch, then checks the area around and inside the nest, and finally passes the detector against the chick’s belly. Video taken by JB Thiebot (MP4 54893 kb)

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Thiebot, JB., Nishizawa, B., Sato, F. et al. Albatross chicks reveal interactions of adults with artisanal longline fisheries within a short range. J Ornithol 159, 935–944 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1579-3

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