Population status

Black-footed Albatross
(Phoebastria nigripes)

Black-footed Albatrosses have not been sufficiently monitored in Canada to reliably determine a change in population status relative to 1970. The global population of Black-footed Albatrosses is estimated between 278,000 and 300,000 individuals. The total breeding population is currently estimated to be between 66,377 (Environnement Canada 2015) and 71,592 pairs (ACAP 2014) with the majority nesting in the Hawaiian Island chain (ACAP 2012). Black-footed Albatrosses do not breed in Canada but, during the period of peak abundance (May through October) there may be 2,500 or more birds within Canadian waters off the Pacific (Hunt et al. 2000, Kenyon et al. 2009). Adult birds from Hawaiian colonies are known to forage as far east as the west coast of North America, including British Columbia, during the chick rearing period (Hyrenbach et al. 2002, Kenyon et al. 2009). The worldwide population experienced severe historic declines owing to egg and feather collecting throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, but since this time, monitored populations have mostly recovered (Arata et al. 2009). Some projection models for future population trends have showed weak to dramatic declines while others predict a relatively stable population trend (COSEWIC 2007h, ACAP 2012); decades-long data gaps and uncertainty around estimates of fisheries-induced mortality preclude clear estimates of long-term global population trend predictions.

 

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