Australia moves to protect threatened albatross
Date: 02-Jul-02
Country: AUSTRALIA
Environment Minister David Kemp said four albatross breeding sites around Australia's southern island state of Tasmania would be listed under a new national register of critical habitat to protect the wandering, shy and grey-headed albatross.
This means anyone who significantly damages their habitat on Macquarie Island, Albatross Island, The Mewstone and Pedra Branca - the only suitable breeding sites in Australia for these birds - faces a fine of A$110,000 (US$62,000) and/or two years jail.
"If these habitats were lost, it is unlikely that these species would survive as albatrosses tend to return to the same breeding sites year after year," Kemp said in a statement.
"The populations found on these islands would be unlikely to breed elsewhere," he said.
There are currently only about 150 breeding populations of albatross around the globe of which 18 are in areas under Australia's jurisdiction.
The listing was the latest move to reverse a dangerous decline in the numbers of albatrosses, of which there are 24 species worldwide.
Numbers have fallen in recent years due to pollution and the increasing practice of longline fishing in southern oceans, home to about 20 of the species, as the birds become hooked on baits attached to longlines and they drown.
Albatrosses are the world's largest flying birds, weighing up to 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) with a wingspan that can reach 3.5 metres (11.5 feet).
They are migratory birds that spend up to eights years at sea after leaving the nest, flying thousands of miles across the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans in search of food.