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View Full Text Article Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office Anchorage, Alaska 5-YEAR REVIEW Species reviewed: Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) Table of Contents 1.0 General Information…………………………………………………………………………..3 2.0 Review Analysis………………………………………………………………………………5 3.0 Results………………………………………………………………………………………..52 4.0 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………53 5.0 References……………………………………………………………………………………66 List of Tables Table 1. Breeding cycle of short-tailed albatross…………………………………………….……8 Table 2. Short-tailed Albatross productivity data on Torishima and Minami Kojima…………..19 Table 3. Breeding sites from which short-tailed albatross have been extirpated…...………..…..25 Table 4. Growth of the Hatsunezaki colony, Torishima…………………………………………26 Table 5. Known and Potential Threats to Short-tailed Albatross………………………………..31 Table 6. Date, description and location of known short-tailed albatross mortalities………….…38 Table 7. Number of observed dead short-tailed albatross that triggers management concern…..39 List of Figures Figure 1. Use of marine habitat by short-tailed albatross breeding adults………………………10 Figure 2. Locations of breeding short-tailed albatross from February through April…………...11 Figure 3. Representative track lines for short-tailed albatross………………………...…………12 Figure 4. Satellite track lines for adults and sub-adults vs. juveniles captured at sea…………..13 Figure 5. Use of different depth regimes by three North Pacific albatross species…………….14 Figure 6. Opportunistic sightings (n=1432) of short-tailed albatross in the North Pacific……..16 Figure 7. Large flock of short-tailed albatross (estimated at a minimum size of 153)………….17 Figure 8. Counts of short-tailed albatross breeding adults, eggs, and nearly-fledged chicks…...18 Figure 9. Mean population size (of 1000 simulations) from stochastic model results………….21 Figure10. Stochastic model results of STAL population growth………………………………..22 Figure 11. Former and current breeding range and at-sea range of short-tailed albatross………24 Figure 12. Use of marine habitat by short-tailed albatross breeding adults…………………….29 Figure 13. Photo of satellite transmitter affixed to the back of a short-tailed albatross………...30 Figure 14. Profile of streamer line deployed above longline gear during gear deployment……60 Figure 15. Photo of Torishima during its 2002 eruption event…………………………………63 2 5-YEAR REVIEW Short-tailed Albatross/Phoebastria albatrus 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 Reviewers: Kim Rivera, National Seabird Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries Judy Jacobs, Endangered Species Biologist, USFWS, Alaska Paul Sievert, Assistant Unit Leader, USGS, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Lead Regional or Headquarters Office Sonja Jahrsdoerfer, Regional Office, R7, 907-786-3323 Lead Field Office Greg Balogh, Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office, Anchorage, Alaska, 907-271-2778 Cooperating Field Office(s) None Cooperating Regional Office(s) None 1.2 Methodology used to complete the review: This review represents an individual effort by Greg Balogh, Endangered Species Branch Chief at the Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office, using information that resulted from a Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa in August, 2008, and information excerpted from the Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Plan, completed in September, 2008. Recovery criteria were developed by the Short- tailed Albatross Recovery Team with the assistance of: 1) a stochastic Population Viability Analysis that was contracted out to Myra Finkelstein at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and 2) a deterministic population model developed by Dr. Paul Sievert at the University of Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. 1.3 Background: The short-tailed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) was federally listed as endangered throughout its range, including the United States, on July 31, 2000 (65 FR 147:46643- 46654). Prior to that, it had been listed as endangered throughout its range except within the United States and its territorial waters. At the time of listing, designation of critical habitat was determined to be not prudent. See 65 FR 147:46651-46653 for a detailed description of the critical habitat determination. We made the draft recovery plan for the short-tailed albatross available for public comment from October 27th to December 27th, 2005 (70 FR 61988). We considered information we received during this public comment period and information received from five peer reviewers and the Government of Japan in our preparation of the final recovery plan. The Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Team has taken into account these 3 comments in redrafting the recovery plan and in revising and justifying the new recovery criteria set forth in the final plan. The final plan was approved by the Regional Director, Region 7, Alaska, on September 17, 2008. It is available at: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/endangered/pdf/stal_recovery_plan.pdf 1.3.1 FR Notice citation announcing initiation of this review: 74 FR (96) 23739-23741 1.3.2 Listing history The short-tailed albatross was originally listed as endangered in accordance with the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (ESCA). Pursuant to the ESCA, two separate lists of endangered wildlife were maintained, one for foreign species and one for species native to the United States. The short-tailed albatross appeared only on the List of Endangered Foreign Wildlife (35 FR 8495; June 2, 1970). When the Act became effective on December 28, 1973, it superseded the ESCA. The native and foreign lists were combined to create one list of endangered and threatened species (39 FR 1171; January 4, 1974). When the lists were combined, prior notice of the action for the short-tailed albatross was not given to the governors of the affected States (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington), as required by the Act, because available data were interpreted as not supporting resident status for the short-tailed albatross. Thus, native individuals of this species were never formally proposed for listing pursuant to the criteria and procedures of the Act. On July 25, 1979, we published a notice (44 FR 43705) stating that, through an oversight in the listing of the short-tailed albatross and six other endangered species, individuals occurring in the United States were not protected by the Act. The notice stated that our intent was that all populations and individuals of the seven species should be listed as endangered wherever they occurred. Therefore, the notice stated that we intended to take action to propose endangered status for individuals occurring in the United States. On July 25, 1980, we published a proposed rule (45 FR 49844; July 25, 1980) to list, in the United States, the short- tailed albatross and four of the other species referred to above. No final action was taken on the July 25, 1980, proposal. In 1996, we designated the short-tailed albatross as a candidate for listing in the United States (62 FR 49398; September 19, 1997). On November 2, 1998, we issued an updated proposed rule to list the short-tailed albatross as endangered in the United States (63 FR 58692; November 2, 1998). Original Listing FR notice: See above history 4 Date listed: pre-ESA Entity listed: Species Classification: Endangered (Foreign Wildlife) Revised Listing, if applicable FR notice: 65 FR 147:46643-46654 Date listed: July 31, 2000 Entity listed: Species Classification: Endangered (throughout its range) 1.3.3 Associated rulemakings: None 1.3.4 Review History: Status Report: October 25, 1993 Final Listing: July 31, 2000 Draft Recovery Plan: October 27, 2005 Final Recovery Plan: September 17, 2008 1.3.5 Species’ Recovery Priority Number at start of 5-year review: 8 1.3.6 Recovery Plan or Outline Name of plan or outline: Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Plan Date issued: September 17, 2008 Dates of previous revisions, if applicable: None 2.0 REVIEW ANALYSIS 2.1 Application of the 1996 Distinct Population Segment (DPS) policy 2.1.1 Is the species under review a vertebrate? ___x__Yes, go to section 2.1.2. _____No, go to section 2.2. 2.1.2 Is the species under review listed as a DPS? ____ Yes, go to section 2.1.3. ___x_ No, go to section 2.1.4 2.1.3 Was the DPS listed prior to 1996? ____ Yes, give date and go to section 2.1.3.1. ____ No, go to section 2.1.4. 5 2.1.3.1 Prior to this 5-year review, was the DPS classification reviewed to ensure it meets the 1996 policy standards? ____ Yes, provide citation and go to section 2.1.4. ____ No, go to section 2.1.3.2. 2.1.3.2 Does the DPS listing meet the discreteness and significance elements of the 1996 DPS policy? ____ Yes, discuss how it meets the DPS policy, and go to section 2.1.4. ____ No, discuss how it is not consistent with the DPS policy and consider the 5-year review completed. Go to section 2.4., Synthesis. 2.1.4 Is there relevant new information for this species regarding the application of the DPS policy? ____ Yes, provide citation(s) and a brief summary of the new information; explain how this new information affects our understanding of the species and/or the need to list as DPSs. __x__ No, go to section 2.2., Recovery Criteria. 2.2 Recovery Criteria 2.2.1 Does the species have a final, approved recovery plan1 containing objective, measurable criteria? __x__ Yes, continue to section 2.2.2. ____ No, consider recommending development of a recovery plan or recovery criteria in section IV, Recommendations for Future Actions, and go to section 2.3., Updated Information and Current Species Status. 2.2.2 Adequacy of recovery criteria. 2.2.2.1 Do the recovery criteria reflect the best available and most up-to date information on the biology of the species and its habitat? 1 Although the guidance generally directs the reviewer to consider criteria from final approved recovery plans, criteria in published draft recovery plans may be considered at the reviewer’s discretion.
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