Waved albatross  (Phoebastria irrorata)

Like other albatross species, the greatest threat to the waved albatross is human fishing activities. Many are unintentionally drowned by longline fishing boats; a fishing method that involves a single line up to 130 kilometres long, with thousands of baited hooks attached to it, being pulled behind a boat. Waved albatrosses, scavenging in the ocean, try to eat the bait from the line as it is set behind the boat, but instead swallow the hooks and are dragged under and drowned (7). Currently, waved albatross are only affected by longlining when feeding off the coast of Peru, as industrial longline fishing is prohibited in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. However, there is pressure from the fishing industry to allow longlining within the reserve, which would have an extremely damaging impact on the population of waved albatross (8).

Waved albatross are also threatened by water pollution, such as oil slicks; the ingestion of contaminants, and occasional intentional harvesting for human consumption (3) (9). Additionally, because it breeds on only one, or possibly two, islands, this makes it very vulnerable to any chance events (1). As albatross are long-lived birds, they are exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of any threats, as they can not breed fast enough to replace the numbers being killed (6).

Española is part of the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve, and World Heritage Site, which means that this breeding site of the waved albatross is well protected. There are no introduced species on the island, and tourism is well regulated. The other potential breeding site, the Isla de la Plata, is part of Machalilla National Park but does not have the same level of protection as Española, and therefore the albatross could benefit from increased protection of this island (5).

A number of organisations are working together to encourage and train fisherman to use methods that reduce the threat of longlines to albatross. These methods include using devices to scare birds away from the longlines, releasing the line from the boat underwater out of reach of the birds, and using weights so the lines sink more quickly (6). It is hoped that longlining remains prohibited within the Galapagos Marine Reserve.