A study from 1972 to 2012 of more than 36,000 albatrosses on Bird Island, South Georgia found that bycatch in fisheries was associated with reduced juvenile and adult survival rates for wandering and black-browed albatrosses and that ongoing changes in climate, such as increased sea surface temperatures and winds, hindered population recovery; further, post-El Niño food shortages were associated with exacerbated negative impact of bycatch for grey-headed albatrosses, indicating the need for a wider adoption of best-practice bycatch mitigation methods and compliance monitoring.
Article #16-18819: "Additive effects of climate and fisheries drive ongoing declines in multiple albatross species," by Deborah Pardo et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Pardo, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK; tel: +33787966043; e-mail: <deborah.pardo@gmail.com>
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