Piner High School STEAM Certificate

Level 1 Response
Han Nguyen

Presentation: Tracking North Pacific Albatrosses to Understand Fishery Interactions

Presenter: Rachael Orben
Date: 28 July 2022

Presentation Summary:

Albatross are far-ranging, long-living birds, the oldest one being 70 years old, making it
the oldest wild bird known to exist. They have low reproductive rates, producing just one chick
a year or less, with some species nesting only every other year. There are 22 species globally,
and of those, 21 are threatened. More specifically, 15 are threatened with extinction while six
are “near-threatened”. They are colonial nesters who are faithful to their nesting sites and
colonies. Most species of albatross nest in the southern hemisphere, but there are three species
that have colonies throughout the North Pacific from Japan to Hawaii to Guadalupe Island,
Mexico. These birds cross back and forth across the North Pacific, connecting their colonies
through far-ranging areas with relative ease. They have seasonal cycles of movement which
adjust based on the needs of their families. When an albatross has an egg that is incubating, it
will take decently long foraging trips far from its colony. Once the egg hatches, however, they
take shorter foraging trips and stay closer to the colony and its chick. Once the nesting period is
over, they wander and forage freely. However, when albatross make these long journeys, they
can encounter fishing boats and end up as bycatch.
For albatross, fishery bycatch is an increasingly critical issue. This typically happens
when albatross grab baited hooks from long-liners, get entangled, and drown. Boosted
Regression Trees (BRT) and radar detecting tags were used to model and better understand the
interaction between albatross and fishing boats. It was found that if there were more boats, there
would be more albatross visits, they were more likely to approach boats during the day, and they
were more likely to approach vessels while foraging compared to transit states. Logistically, this
all makes sense, but it was also found that environmental variables also affected the likelihood of
an albatross visiting a fishing vessel. A few of these factors include lower wind speeds because
taking off from the water is energetically costly, and increased surface temperature, which leads
to fewer prey in the water, so they may turn to nearby boats in search of food. When these
factors were present, albatross were more likely to turn interactions into associations, meaning
they were more likely to follow a vessel.
Understanding movement and attraction patterns were important in forming solutions to
reduce albatross bycatch. One of these solutions includes the use of steam liners on boats, which
will scare away albatross and other birds to free the area for line fishing; this has proven to be
effective in the past. Because albatross are most active during the day, long lines can be set at
night to reduce bycatch. Additionally, seabirds are frequently encountering boats, and the use of
boat data and tracking technology will help fisheries keep track of where and when these
encounters happen. Albatross are not the only birds that fall victim to fishery bycatch, but
understanding the albatross perspective is important in understanding how fisheries create
collateral damage impacting wildlife.

Reflection:

My mom loves birds, but I’m not really a fan of them, in fact, some of them creep me
out. I’ve heard of albatrosses before, but never knew much of them, except for the fact that they
don’t have the most majestic takeoffs, but are quite fantastic once in the air. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen an albatross before, but after the photos shown in the presentation, they definitely fall
under the category of birds I find creepy, though I can see why people may find them majestic.
One species was striking in particular: the Laysan albatross. These birds have black eyes with
black surrounding them, which transition into gray and eventually fade into a white body, giving
them a dark and foreboding look.
The space was opened with a traditional Hawaiian song sung by Malia Evans, one of the
hosts of the webinar. After she was introduced, Rachael Orben, the orator of this webinar,
immediately began by stating that the Hatfield Marine Science center, where she does some of
her work, is located on the land of the indigenous Yakima people, who were forcefully removed.
I found that these bits of the webinar were the most resonating and impactful. I really
appreciated how they showed respect for indigenous culture and acknowledged that we are on
indigenous land. Additionally, their mission was to raise awareness on albatross bycatch and
marine life, so while it wasn’t a topic I’m particularly interested in, I have a lot of respect for
these people, their work, and the way they approach their role in the community.

Related Article:

Oregon State University, and Michelle Klampe. “New Insights into Close Encounters between
Albatross and Fishing.” Life at OSU, 26 Mar. 2021,
https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/new-insights-close-encounters-between-albatross-and-
fishing-vessels-could-reduce-bycatch-risk

The Oregon State University Article, New Insights into Close Encounters between
Albatross and Fishing, summarizes the findings of Rachael Orben and a team of scientists on the
correlation between albatross and fishing vessels, and conditions that increase the risk of
bycatch. This research provides an important understanding that could help reduce harmful
encounters, and it deploys the use of data from albatross and fishing vessels, both of which are
GPS-tagged. This helps understand factors that influence bird behavior and conceptualize bird
encounters of fishing boats. Three species of albatross are found in the North Pacific: the
black-footed albatross, the Laysan albatross, and the short-tailed albatross. All three species are
threatened and the short-tailed albatross is classified as endangered. This research is important
in helping reduce human threats to seabirds and is currently the concern of several scientific
teams across the nation and Japan.
I found it innovative how they used GPS to track bird behavior; my instinct would have
been to find out how to make fishing vessels less of a threat, such as using stream-liners, as
mentioned in the webinar, without data on when the risks are at their greatest. I thought it was
interesting how they are using technology to find out when vessels are a larger threat and coming
up with solutions using that data, solutions which are convenient for fishermen as well. I don’t
find this topic particularly interesting, but I still enjoyed learning about it. It isn’t something I
would further look into in the future, but it does make me wonder, what about other animals who
fall victim to bycatch? I know albatross are topping the priority list due to their endangered
status, but I’m curious how this is being approached for other animals as well.