Black-footed Albatrosses breed on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, as well as on islands off the coast of Japan and, intermittently, Mexico. Although they do not breed in Canada, they are regularly observed off shore of the Pacific coast and are thought to be present throughout the entire year (Kenyon et al. 2009). Data are not sufficient to determine a change in population status in Canada relative to 1970. The species was designated as Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, primarily due to fisheries-induced mortality (COSEWIC 2007h). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The primary threats to Black-footed Albatrosses in Canadian waters and elsewhere include incidental mortalities in commercial fisheries, bioaccumulation of contaminants, exposure to marine oil spills, and ingestion of plastics (COSEWIC 2007h, ACAP 2012). These threats motivate ongoing efforts to define at-sea distributions and their overlap with longline fisheries, and to maintain regulations to minimize mortalities (Arata et al. 2009, Awkerman et al. 2008). Other emerging threats include loss of nesting habitat and reduced breeding success due to the effects of climate change (ECCC 2017c). All Hawaiian breeding colonies are within protected areas (accounting for >90% of the global population) and monitoring efforts for most of those colonies have been continuous since 1991 (Arata et al. 2009). Long-term at-sea surveys have been underway in Canada to monitor the distribution and abundance, along with bycatch mortality in Pacific waters (ECCC 2017c).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
