Northern royal albatross  (Diomedea sanfordi)

A storm that hit the Chatham Islands in 1985 had a dramatic impact on the reproductive success of the northern royal albatross, reducing soil cover and destroying all vegetation so that nests had to be constructed with stones, or eggs simply laid on bare rock. As a result, annual reproductive success plummeted due to egg breakage, high temperatures and flooding in temporary pools. Introduced predators pose an additional threat, with stoats (Mustela erminea) and cats known to take eggs and chicks at Taiaroa Head. Albatrosses are notoriously vulnerable to becoming entangled in fishing equipment whilst feeding on baited hooks or catch, and mortality due to longline fishing activities may pose a future threat to this species (2).

All populations of the northern royal albatross are monitored annually, and predator control initiatives at Taiaroa Head during the breeding season have dramatically improved annual reproductive success rates. Feral cattle, rabbits and mice have all been eradicated from Enderby Island, and Taiaroa Head and Enderby Island are established as nature reserves (2). The northern royal albatross is also listed on Annex 1 of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to these magnificent seabirds (4).