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A Story About

Albatross

© Sophie Webb 2004

Tracking their Travels

and

Tracking Plastic Trash

This is a story about tracking albatross and tracking plastic trash. In particular, this story is about the dark albatross (right side of image) – this is the Black-footed albatross. These birds criss-cross the entire Pacific Ocean like you and I criss-cross our backyards!

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“If we didn’t clean our shorelines, where could the litter go?”

“How can your coastal clean-

up efforts benefit these

unique birds?”

These are two important questions to think about during this presentation.

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Seabird Diversity

Four main orders of seabirds:

Sphenisciformes - Penguins

Procellariiformes – Albatrosses, Shearwaters, Fulmars, & Petrels

Pelecaniformes - Pelicans, Cormorants, Boobies, Frigate birds

Charadriiformes - Gulls, Terns, & Alcids

Penguin

Petrel

Pelican

Alcid

H. Nevins

H. Nevins

J. Harvey

WWW.nzbirds.com

There are 4 main orders of seabirds: Sphenisciformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, and Charadriiformes. Seabirds that belong to the order Procellariiformes are among the most pelagic and far-ranging of seabirds that occur in all the oceans. This story is about seabirds from this group.

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Seabird Feeding Methods

(Ashmole 1971)

Plunging

FEEDERS

Seabirds feed in three main ways: (1) they collect food items from the surface, (2) they plunge to capture submerged prey, and (3) they use their wings and feet to fly or swim underwater. The foraging methods of seabirds influence their ability to gather different types of prey and marine debris (e.g., floating versus sinking). Whereas most plastics float on the surface, other types may float deeper down in the water column. Thus, not all the debris that sinks at the surface ends up in the bottom of the sea. When a sinking piece of debris reaches a layer of water whose density matches its own, it becomes neutrally bouyant (not sinking, but merely floating suspended in the water column). Therefore, this debris drifts passively in the water column, where diving turtles and seabirds can encounter it.

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What is a seabird?

© W.Henry

© J. Adams

Diagram credit:Lars Löfgren

Seabirds make their living on the ocean; what makes them unique? They only come to land to breed and often do so on remote islands, where they form dense colonies; most species lay one egg and raise one chick; return to breed at island where they were hatched; they are long-lived (e.g., Albatross >80 yrs, shearwaters >50 years). The most important point is that these birds depend exclusively on the ocean through-out their lives.

To contend with excess salt taken in by drinking and feeding, seabirds have their own desalinization systems in the form of glands of various shapes and sizes that lie in shallow depressions in or above the eye socket. The excess salt extracted from the blood by these glands passes as a concentrated solution through ducts into the nasal cavity and is eliminated through the nostrils in liquid form.

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Photo credit: P.Pyle

Black-footed albatross

Laysan albatross

Albatrosses are monogamous; they start arriving at nest sites (NW Hawaiian Islands) in mid-Oct; begin dancing and perform ritualized displays accompanied by distinct vocalizations; they have elaborate courtship displays and form long-term pair-bonds. The function of all the dancing is to help form and reinforce the pair bonds. They go through an “engagement” period of a yearr or longer; and some even build a mock nest. They eventually start breeding at age of 7-10 years old; they come together every year and a bird will take a new mate only if its partner dies or disappears; they return to the precise nesting spot (within a few meters); about 75% breed annually; lay a single egg by early November; the female returns to sea for 2-3 days after laying and the male incubates egg; develop oval area of bare skin; brood patch; male on nest first; doesn’t eat or leave the nest for 18-23 days; chick hatches late January /early February, 63-68 days after laying; chick is guarded by one parent that take turns for 2-3 weeks; then both male / female go to sea after 4 weeks; leave chick for a few days and as long as two weeks and visit chick to feed it

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Unique characteristic of Procellariiformes?

• Tubular nostrils – often called “tube-nosed seabirds”

•Leach’s storm petrel – excellent example showing the nostrips on the top of the bill, merged into a single tube divided by a vertical septum. The prominence of the tube varies between species and its function is uncertain – it may aid in olfaction; smell is exceptionally good in many procellariiforms.

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Black-footed albatross

Sophie Webb

Hyrenbach

This is the Black-footed albatross, a wondrous ocean wanderer, which migrates thousands of miles across the North Pacific Ocean. With a 7 ft wingspan it can fly for hours and perhaps days, without ever flapping its wings because it flies so efficiently. They use the power of the wind, and can cover vast areas of the North Pacific using very little energy by using a process called ‘dynamic soaring’ –whereby they use uplift from the waves to gain lift (and potential energy) – which they they convert into momentum (speed).

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What makes seabirds vulnerable?What makes seabirds vulnerable?

• Long-line and other fishery interactions

• Oiling from oil spills

• Threats at colonies: introduced mammals, habitat destruction

Photo: W. Henry

Ebbert

• Marine debris

Because many species of seabirds are long-lived and far-ranging, and depend exclusively on the ocean through-out their lives, they are thus susceptible to human activities on their colonies and at-sea. There are 4 major sources of seabird morality: (1) long-line and other fishery interactions – in particular Albatross are attracted to fishing vessels and are often entangled in baited hooks, and drown –can result in injury or death by drowning; (2) oiling from oil spills; (3) predation at colonies from introduced mammals such as rats and cats; and (4) habitat destruction and degradation – including marine debris at-sea.

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What are some threats to seabirds?

• entanglement

Entanglement is an obvious problem associated with marine debris. Sooty shearwaters (upper left photo) are affected by marine debris on their long journey from their nesting areas in New Zealand, Australia, and South America to waters off central California. Common murres and other diving seabirds often get entangled and killed by marine debris. Many other species of marine life are also affected by entanglement including fishes, marine mammals, and sea turtles.

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What makes seabirds vulnerable?

Photo: Cynthia Vanderlip

• Plastic ingestion

Another less conspicuous impact of marine debris is plastic ingestion. Seabirds eat plastic. This is a photo of a dead albatross chick with a stomach full of plastic debris – note the amount of bottle caps, the comb, and the toy car wheel.

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Seabirds most susceptible to plastic ingestion

Saenz

Saenz

• Black-footed and Laysan Albatross

• Northern fulmar

Webb

Three factors influence the incidence of seabird ingestion of plastics: (1) foraging mode, (2) habitat use and (3) body size.

Far-ranging species that feed opportunistically at the sea surface are most susceptible to plastic ingestion. Three examples are the BFAL, LAAL, and NOFU. Surface feeders have a greater rate of plastic ingestion and also ingest greater proportions of user plastic. Diving birds also eat plastic but are not as susceptible as surface feeders.

Oceanic species - which commonly range over vast areas in search of broadly-distributed prey – seem more prone to plastic ingestion that coastal species – which target dense aggregations of fish and zooplankton prey.

Finally, because larger seabirds consume larger prey items, large-bodies species often ingest larger plastic fragments.

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This photo shows Laysan albatross chicks (red arrows) waiting patiently for their parents to return to feed them. Chicks will wait for as long as two weeks at a time, while the male / female travel thousands of kilometers to find food for themselves and their chicks.

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Photo credit: Kinnan

When the parent returns, it regurgitates whatever it has collected at sea in an oily slurry, into the chick’s mouth.

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Photo credit: Kinnan

Should contain:

•50% fish•32% squid•5% crustaceans•10% stomach oil(Harrison et al. 1983

Fry 1987)

When chicks get ready to fledge (leave the nest site) they regurgitate a bolus, a compacted mass of indigestible material that should contain fish parts, squid beaks and hard parts of crustaceans.

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Analysis of Albatross Chick Boluses

• Kure Atoll, Hawaiian Island Chain (Kinan 2000)

– Analyzed 144 boluses from Laysan and Black-footed albatrosses

– Plastic found in every single one (100%)

The contents of boluses provide an index of ocean health – like a barometer. Seabirds are excellent indicators of the state of marine ecosystems and of impacts from human activities, which can reach far from land. Kinan did a study in Kure Atoll in 1999-2000 and found plastic in all 144 Black-footed and Laysan albatross boluses she examined.

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Photo: C. Vanderlip

This is a photo of the contents of a dissected bolus. How many plastic items can you identify?

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Effects of plastic ingestion?

• Large plastic items – ulcerations, infection & obstruction

• Small plastic items – reduce meal size, dehydration

• Leaching of toxic chemicals from the plastic ?

• Lower breeding success ?

Long-term effects of plastic ingestion?

The incidence of plastic ingestion in many long-lived species is an emerging ecological issues on a global scale.

Plastic ingestion studies (Sievert & Sileo 1993, Ludwig et al. 1998), have revealed several short and long term effects of plastic ingestion:

-Chicks eat less and grow weak; plastic ingestion can result in gut obstruction and lesions, diminished feeding stimulus due to satiation and low fledging weights.

-Adults regurgitate large objects to their young, however objects may be too large for chick to regurgitate until it reaches fledging stage.

-Chicks accumulate large quantities of plastic throughout feeding and expulsion of indigestible items becomes difficult and results in diminished post fledging success. Sharp edges injure stomach linings and guts.

-Seabirds may become too full of plastic to eat any food; Toxic chemicals from the plastic may be released and leached into the bird; long-lived seabirds may assimilate PCBs and other toxic chemicals;

-This plastic ingestion by chicks and toxin contamination have been suggested to increase nestling mortality; the chemicals leached from ingested plastics can have potential effects on fecundity and egg breakage.

Large Plastic Items:

- Cuts / abrasions: infection (Sievert & Sileo 1993)

- Fill up / obstruct the stomach (Dickerman & Goelet 1987)

Small Plastic Items:

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• everywhere - both marine and coastal environments

• floating

• water column

• on the seabed

• on beaches and shores

(http://www.marine-litter.gpa.unep.org)

�Where is marine debris found ?

Marine debris is found throughout the ocean and follows many fates.

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90% of floating marine debris is plastic2.5 cm

1 inch

Photos: Kathy Cousins / Irene Kinan

Marine debris contains many different types of plastic products:

Left photo shows children’s toys; right photo shows plastic pieces and chips of various sizes, plastic bottle caps; hard plastic tubing, fishing floats

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How does plastic

get into the sea?

1. Littering by beachgoers

2. Run-off from land e.g. rivers and storm drains

3. Direct dumping into the ocean

4. Accidental loss from ships

About 80% of marine debris is from sources on land.

We all share the responsibility for keeping litter, especially plastic litter, from going into the ocean.

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2. Run-off from land e.g. rivers and storm drains

http://geosci.sfsu.edu/courses/geol102/ex6.html

Large volumes of water move in and out of San Francisco Bay as the tidal level of the Pacific Ocean just outside the Golden Gate changes each day. When the tide is changing from low to high levels, a flooding current moves water inland from (and through) the Golden Gate. When the tide is changing from high to low, an ebbing current moves water from inside the Bay toward (and through) the Golden Gate.

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Major Ocean Currents

North Pacific Gyre

Alaskan Gyre

Currents transport marine debris around the planet. In the North Pacific, the North Pacific Gyre (large rotating mass of ocean water) moves in a clockwise spiral, or gyre, which traps debris originating from the North Pacific rim. The Alaskan Gyre rotates in a counter-clockwise direction and transports debris along the coast of thePacific Northwest.

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1 Shoe Spill May 27, 1990

2 250 recovered, March 26, 1991

3 200 recovered, May 18, 1991

4 100 recovered, Jan-Feb 1991

5 200 recovered, Nov.-Dec.1991

6 200 recovered Feb.Mar 1991

7 150 recovered April 1991

8 200 recovered May 1991

9 Several recovered Jan-Mar 199310 Predicted Jan-July 1994

In 1990, a large cargo ship lost 21 containers in storm-tossed seas. Five of these contained NIKE athletic shoes: 61,820 shoes were released and drifted to these locations from 1990 through 1993.

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Drifting Tots Tub Toys!!!

Twelve years and counting:

(http://www.beachcombers.org/)

January 10, 1992

Sitka AK, Aug.- Sept., 1992

2,200 miles adrift

Dean Orbison

2004 – still finding them!!

On January 10, 1992, 28800 turtles, ducks, beavers and frogs packed in a cargo container splashed into the mid-Pacific, where the 45th parallel intersects the International Date Line (44.7°N, 178.1°E). In Aug.- Sept., 1992, after 2200 miles adrift, 100s beached near Sitka, Alaska

Twelve years later, in 2004, beachcombers beachgoers are still finding the critters. Because plastic is so long-lived, it accumulates in the ocean.

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Algalita Marine Research Foundation

� Learn more about studies of the Eastern / Western garbage patches conducted by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation http://www.alguita.com/

“Eastern garbage patch”

Charles Moore from AMRF first published an article about this global conservation issue in the November 2003 issue of the journal Natural History. The dominant feature in the North Pacific Ocean is the North Pacific Gyre, a large water mass that is rotating in a clockwise direction and can trap debris originating from across the Pacific; floating debris accumulates in the “eastern garbage patch”, an area the size of Texas; there is an estimated ½ lb. of plastic for every 100 m2 of sea surface in this area of marine debris concentration.

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Facts about Plastic in the Gyre(Algalita Marine Research Foundation)

• 6 lbs of plastic for each pound of surface zooplankton in the North Pacific central Gyre

• Plastic does not biodegrade; it’s broken down by sunlight intosmaller pieces

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Studying Albatrosses in California…………..

Do seabirds venture into this plastic zone?

Danzenbacher

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Why research is needed?

What will satellite tracking and

remote sensing allow us to do?

www.seaturtle.orgwww.signalsofspring.net/

Black-footed albatross are affected by longline fisheries and plastic ingestion. These albatross breed in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Midway & Tern Is), and 3 outlying islands off Japan. The blue area on the map indicates the foraging and migratory range in the North Pacific. To find out more about this research see www.oikonos.org

Information is needed about where these birds go after the breeding season during July-October. Satellite tracking will allow us to identify movement patterns and overlap with longline fishing grounds and with regions of greater concentrations of marine debris.

In 2004, David Hyrenbach - from Duke University - Michelle Hester, Hannah Nevins, and Carol Keiper - from Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge- Cheryl Baduini - from Claremont Colleges - and Josh Adams - from USGS - initiated a satellite telemetry study on the movements of Black-footed albatross during the post-breeding dispersal in summer / fall. This study is quantifying the overlap of Black-footed albatross and longline fishing and marine debris.

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METHODSMETHODS

� Captured 18 birds within Cordell Bank NMS in July - Aug. 2004 & 2005

� Equipped birds with Sirtrack Kiwisat 202 transmitters (54 g)

These photos show scientists at work, carefully attaching the satellite tag on the back of an albatross. A sock is put over the head of the bird to reduce stress.

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Ready for release……..

� Size: 7 x 4 x 2 cm�Weight: 54 g � Antenna: 18 cm

Danzenbacher

Ready for release….

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RESULTS OF 2004 TRACKING:RESULTS OF 2004 TRACKING:

� Tracked albatrosses ventured outside of U.S. EEZ, with 61% locations in the high seas

� Three birds ranged into the western north Pacific Ocean, west of the dateline (180 o W)

Unpublished data Hyrenbach et al. 2004

Results of 2004 tracking indicate that the tracked birds ventured outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, where they were tagged; 61% of the locations were on the high seas – beyond national jurisdictions; 3 birds ranged into the western north Pacific Ocean, west of the International Dateline, shown as a red dashed line.

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Black-footed Albatross tracks overlap with

Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s

“Eastern Garbage Patch”

Unpublished data Hyrenbach et al. 2004

This map shows the tracklines (colored lines) and the approximate location of the ‘eastern garbage patch’. In 2004, seven of the nine tracked birds ventured into the ‘eastern garbage patch’.

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Pop Quiz !!!!!

1. What do albatross regurgitate? A bolus

2. How much of floating debris is plastic? 50% 90% 20%

3. Most marine debris comes from land sources. True or False

4. How is marine debris moved around bays and oceans?

Winds & Currents

5. What seabird feeding method can result in eating

lots of plastic?

Diving for food Picking food from the ocean surface

6. Why?

Review some important points of this presentation with this short pop quiz.

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“If we didn’t clean our

beaches, where could

the litter go?”

“How can your coastal clean-

up efforts benefit these

unique birds?”

Now you can answer these two questions!

Encourage students/adults to participate in coastal clean-up activities, and/or monitor their storm drains, a major source of marine debris. During coastal clean-up in CA 50,000 volunteers turn out to over 700 cleanup sites statewide to conduct what has been hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the largest garbage collection" (1993). Since the program started in 1985, over 650,000 Californians have removed more than 10 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events of the year. Be part of the solution to marine pollution; be involved on a regular basis and adopt a beach; reduce your use of single-use plastic, recycle; educate others about the local and global plastic marine debris; promote stewardship for seabirds and ocean conservation; order a whale Tail License Plate $50 over the usual registration fee, personalized plates are $90 for the 1st year and $70 renewal fee. Consider sponsoring an albatross. (see www.oikonos.org). It’s a great way for families, students, service groups, and neighbors to join together, take care of our fragile marine environment, show community support for our shared natural resources, learn about the impacts of marine debris and how we can prevent them, and to have fun! Coastal Cleanup Day is also the kick-off event for Coastweeks—three weeks of coastal and water-related events for the whole family.

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Solutions…..

How can you be part of the solution?

We have formed an inter-disciplinary collaboration among scientists, non-profit groups, National Marine Sanctuaries, and marine educators to engage students and teachers in marine stewardship, and to increase the public awareness of seabird conservation issues.

During 2004–2005, we shared real-time satellite tracking data of Black-footed Albatross and Sooty Shearwater migrations online via the Seaturtle.org (http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking) and Signals of Spring (http://www.signalsofspring.net/) web-sites.

In 2005, we conducted public lectures and teacher workshops during beach clean-ups in support of the California Coastal Clean-up Day. As part of this outreach effort, we have produced stickers bearing the slogan “Protect Seabirds, Prevent Plastic Pollution”, for dissemination to beach clean-up participants. Education at many levels is required to reach a diverse audience both locally and globally. By educating and engaging the public, particularly young students, we hope to reduce plastic pollution in the long-term.

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Photos courtesy Captain Charles Moore - AMRF

Beach clean-up activities are important conservation and environmental lessons for everyone!

These photos show students who collected bottle caps in a beach clean-up in southern CA.

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Trash Monster!!

Artist: Keary Sorenson

Beach litter collected October-March 2003 Fort Ross to Rodeo Beach, California

Jennifer Stock, education and outreach specialist from Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary displays the Trash Monster!

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Acknowledgements & Credits

� Primary author: Carol Keiper, Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge� This presentation is adapted from presentations funded by the California

Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grant Program� Contributing authors: Dr. David Hyrenbach, PhD, Duke University; Hannah

Nevins & Michelle Hester, Oikonos-Ecosystem Knowledge; Cheryl Baduini, PhD,Claremont Colleges; Josh Adams, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories & USGSJennifer Stock, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary; William Henry,University of California Santa Cruz; Captain Charles Moore, Algalita MarineResearch Foundation

� Funding for Black-footed Albatross conservation research provided by NationalFish & Wildlife Foundation

Photos and Slides: P.Pyle, B.Saenz, B.Henry, S.Webb, D.Hyrenbach, M.Danzenbacher, J.Stock, H. Nevins, J. Adams, J. Harvey, C VanderlipK.Cousins, I. Kinan, Myra Finkelstein

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Use Agreement (October 25, 2006)

• This material may be viewed and displayed for educational use only. • All images, data, and text have been contributed to Oikonos free of charge

to create this product for educational use. Content may be copyrighted and/or owned by individuals and entities other than, and in addition to, Oikonos.

• Teachers, educators, researchers and students may incorporate these materials into their lesson plans, presentations, and worksheet in hard copy and digital format for internal educational use only, not into any publication for external distribution.

• No organization or person (whether an educational body or not) may incorporate Oikonos material into any media for promotional or commercial purpose whatsoever.

• Please contact Oikonos to request further use of any images, data or text included in this presentation – we will contact the contributing authors:

Oikonos – Ecosystem KnowledgePO Box 1932 Benicia, CA 94510, USA Email: info@oikonos.org Phone: 415 868-1399

Use Agreement (October 25, 2006)

This material may be viewed and displayed for educational use only.

All images, data, and text have been contributed to Oikonos free of charge to create this product for educational use. Content may be copyrighted and/or owned by individuals and entities other than, and in addition to, Oikonos.

Teachers, educators, researchers and students may incorporate these materials into their lesson plans, presentations, and worksheet in hard copy and digital format for internal educational use only, not into any publication for external distribution.

No organization or person (whether an educational body or not) may incorporate Oikonos material into any media for promotional or commercial purpose whatsoever.

Please contact Oikonos to request further use of any images, data or text included in this presentation – we will contact the contributing authors:

Oikonos – Ecosystem Knowledge

PO Box 1932 Benicia, CA 94510, USA

Email: info@oikonos.org Phone: 415 868-1399