Chatham albatross  (Thalassarche eremita)

Having only a single, tiny breeding site makes the Chatham albatross incredibly vulnerable to any threats; a single catastrophic event could devastate the entire population. During the 1980s, severe storms and changed climatic conditions resulted in the loss of soil and vegetation from ‘The Pyramid' (7). The lack of soil and vegetation with which to build nests resulted in poorer nests that are prone to collapse in dry periods (5) (7). There is a history of Moriori and other Chatham Island settlers harvesting albatross fledglings. Annual harvesting may still occur, and though only small numbers are taken (7), this could still have an effect on the population (3). At sea, the Chatham albatross is killed by longline fishing vessels off the coast off Chile, Peru and New Zealand (7).

The Chatham albatross is listed on Annex I of The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels by coordinating international activity to lessen known threats to these species (8). The Chatham albatross's breeding site, ‘The Pyramid', is privately owned and special permission for landing must be obtained from the owners (5). This, and the island's difficult access, may offer the albatross some protection, but legal protection of the site is still urgently required (7). Developing and implementing techniques to reduce fisheries by-catch, particularly by longliners (3), would benefit the Chatham albatross and the many other albatrosses that die needlessly on the end of fishing hooks.