Blog Post 8: Short-tailed Albatross

Short-tailed Albatross. A native species to the pacific coast, usually along Alaska and the British Columbia but sometimes seen on Northwest Hawaii and Japan for when they go back to their breeding grounds. But this species is also endangered. While in the past the numbers were much higher, the decline caused by multiple different factors over the years have caused their numbers to fall. A lot. Usually due to the terrible quality of the soil on their breeding grounds, volcanic eruptions, or whatever is caused by all of the fisheries.

While this species is currently on the way to increasing to steady numbers, it still has a long way to go. Right now the number is fluctuating between threatened and endangered. And because their breeding grounds are so limited between two different islands. It makes it a bit hard for the numbers to increase when both of them kind of suck for lack of better words. And going off of just personal speculation, I feel as though that the two islands could be hit with something from global climate change. The rising sea levels could mess with both of those islands in a way that makes it so that both of them would make it a lot harder for them to do the deed on.

I was surprised to learn that this species doesn't really go by Washington. It goes through Oregon, some parts in California, Hawaii, Alaska, etc. It's also nice to know that this species is currently being protected and organizations are offering fisheries large rewards to figure out some way to do their thing without harming the Albatrosses.

“Short-Tailed Albatross.” Animal Spot, www.animalspot.net/short-tailed-albatross.html.

Zanelli, Suzanne. Short-Tailed Albatross, www.pacificbio.org/initiatives/ESIN/Birds/ShortTailedAlbatross/shorttailedalbatross_pg.html.