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Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) Sighting off Northern Labrador, Canada
Juliana Coffey

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 19, Issue 1 (2012): 130–134

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130 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 19, No. 1 130 Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) Sighting off Northern Labrador, Canada Juliana Coffey* Abstract - Thalassarche melanophrys (Black-browed Albatross) has rarely been sighted in the northwest Atlantic, with fewer than 30 anecdotal and fewer than 10 confirmed sightings spanning the West Indies north to Greenland. On 8 August 2009, a Black-browed Albatross was observed from a longliner conducting an exploratory Chionoecetes opilio (Snow Crab) survey, off the coast of northern Labrador. This sighting currently represents the most northerly record for continental North America. The only more northerly records are two specimens seen off Greenland. Blackbrowed Albatrosses have been seen more frequently, though rarely, in the eastern North Atlantic, while they have yet to be documented in the north Pacific. Given the higher frequency of sightings along the European coast, it may be that the majority of Black-browed Albatrosses crossing the equator are traveling up the African coast. Black-browed sightings on the Atlantic coast of North America therefore may originate in northern Europe, or from birds traveling along the Atlantic coast of South America. Sighting description. Between 23 July and 18 August, we conducted an exploratory Chionoecetes opilio (J.C. Fabricius) (Snow Crab) survey off northern Labrador, on the M/V Labrador Venture, out of Makkovik, Nunatsiavut, Labrador. During this period, seabird surveys were conducted opportunistically and systematically during hauling of strings of crab pots. On 8 August 2009, the vessel began hauling gear in 350 m of water at 56°19.15'N, 57°53.56'W, approximately one hundred nautical miles off Nain (Fig. 1), the northernmost community of Labrador. During the first haul, at approximately 0700h, I performed a survey scan of the seabirds that had gathered, presumably in anticipation of scavenging from the discards. There were approximately 1000 Fulmarus glacialis L. (Northern Fulmar), 200 Puffinus gravis O’Reilly (Greater Shearwater), 40 Puffinus griseus Gmelin (Sooty Shearwater), 30 Larus argentatus Coues (Herring Gull), 2 Larus marinus L. (Great Blackbacked Gull), 2 juvenile Morus bassanus L. (Northern Gannet), 1 Oceanites oceanicus Kuhl (Wilson’s Storm Petrel) and 1 Thalassarche melanophrys Temminck (Black-browed Albatross). The seabird congregation was most concentrated within 3 m of the bow of the vessel, in the area where by-catch and leftover bait were being discarded. The prominent long, slender yellowish bill with a slightly curved salmon-pink tip, black “mascara-like” markings over the brow, light gray legs and feet, and sheer size of it identified the bird as a southern-hemisphere adult Black-browed Albatross (Fig. 2). The wingspan was greater than 2 m, with primarily white underwings with black margins, and a uniformly dark grey to black upperwings. This bird was observed for approximately 30 minutes, during hauling of a single string of crab gear, whereupon the crew steamed to the next survey unit. The albatross was observed competing with the fulmars for discarded squid bait from the crab pots. Although the bird was not observed in extended flight, it was observed making a 5-m flight over the water, in an apparent effort to be more strategically placed for accessing discards. During the 30-minute observation period, many high quality photographs, as well as video footage, were taken, mostly at close range. Photographs were later positively *Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat, PO Box 2050, Station B, Happy Valley – Goose Bay, NL, Canada, A0P1E0; julianacoffey@hotmail.com. Notes of the Northeastern Nat u ral ist, Issue 19/1, 2012 2012 Northeastern Naturalist Notes 131 identified and the sighting confirmed by the Newfoundland and Labrador bird records committee (B. Mactavish, B. Mactavish, LGL, St. John's, Newfoundland, pers. comm., September 2010). Species affinity to upwelling zones. The Black-browed prefers to feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans over oceanic shelves and shelf breaks during the breeding and nonbreeding period, and will also scavenge fisheries discards (e.g., Burg and Croxall 2001, Cherel et al. 2000, Reid and Sullivan 2004). This particular individual was observed over the continental shelf in the cold Labrador Current, at the mouth of the Hopedale Channel Figure 1. Black-browed Albatross sightings in this study (inset) and in the northwest Atlantic. 132 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 19, No. 1 (Fig. 1). In this region, biophysical properties such as strong stratification, upwelling, fronts, enriched surface-mixed layer, and enhanced primary and secondary production attract biota at all trophic levels (Macpherson and Macpherson 1981). Frajka-Williams et al. (2009) showed that the waters off the central Labrador coast are highly stratified and productive in the surface-mixed layer, while Head et al. (2000) measured the greatest total biomass of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) at the mouth of the Hopedale Channel relative to other survey stations in the Labrador Sea. In this study, this single survey period recorded the most seabirds observed throughout the entire 20 seadays, possibly highlighting a productive hotspot along the continental shelf habitat. It is also interesting to note that one of the only other confirmed sightings of Black-browed in Newfoundland and Labrador waters occurred off southern Labrador along this shelfbreak front, despite there being more potential for observer effort in other areas of the province, such as the Grand Banks. As well, there have been more confirmed and hypothetical sightings of Black-browed in Newfoundland and Labrador compared with other regions in the northwest Atlantic (Davis 2009), despite considerably more observer effort and potential in other areas along the eastern seaboard. Black-browed Albatross status and life history. Although the Black-browed is the most abundant and widespread albatross species, with an estimated population of 1,200,000 (BirdLife International 2009), it is an IUCN endangered species, mostly related to declines by incidental mortality associated with longline and trawling fisheries in the southern hemisphere (e.g., Birdlife International 2009, Nel et al. 2002). Breeding occurs annually during the austral summer, and there are more than 20 breeding populations scattered on islands throughout the Southern Ocean, with approximately 86% of Figure 2. Black-browed Albatross in waters off northern Labrador. 2012 Northeastern Naturalist Notes 133 pairs breeding at the Falkland Islands, 10% at South Georgia, and 3% in Chilean waters (Croxall and Gales 1998, Croxall et al. 1998). The majority of confirmed and hypothetical sightings in the northwest Atlantic occurred between May–October, in the non-breeding season. Feeding during the breeding period takes place in areas such as over the Kerguelen and Patagonian shelf-breaks (Croxall et al. 1998, Weimerskirch 1998, Weimerskirch and Jouventin 1998). Overwintering areas occur on the Patagonian and Chilean Shelves and the waters of southwest Africa, New Zealand, and Australia (Birdlife International 2009, Burg and Croxall 2001, Gales 1998). Both breeding and non-breeding ranges are typically restricted to the southern hemisphere (BirdLife International 2009, Burg and Croxall 2001), although the Black-browed has been known to have a tendency to migrate northward to cool upwelling regions along the South American and African Atlantic coasts (DuMont 1973, Mlodinow 1999). Other sightings. There have been less than 10 confirmed sightings of Black-browed Albatross in the northwest Atlantic (Fig. 2). Our sighting represents the most northern record for eastern North America, trumped in the North Atlantic only by 2 sightings from Greenland (Davis 2009; DuMont 1973; B. Mactavish, pers. comm., March 2011; Patteson et al. 1999). Of the 2 other confirmed sightings of a Black-browed Albatross in Newfoundland and Labrador, one was photographed off the coast of southern Labrador from another crab fishing vessel in 2004 (Davis 2009; Trevor Larkham, Fisher, William’s Harbour, NL, Canada, August 2009 pers. comm.), and another was photographed off of Bonavista in 2009 (B. Mactavish, March 2011 per. comm.). Although there have been several hypothetical sightings in Newfoundland and Labrador waters within the past 40 years, these are the only ones supported with photographs (Davis 2009; B. Mactavish, 2011 pers. comm.). Confirmed records in eastern North America include sightings in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, Virginia, and North Carolina, with 1 record from Martinique, West Indies (Fig. 2) (Davis 2009, DuMont 1973). There are also a series of hypothetical sightings from St. Pierre et Miquelon (France), Prince Edward Island, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and the Bahamas (Davis 2009). There have been more frequent sightings of Black-browed in the northeast Atlantic, with records hailing from Iceland, Faeroes, Norway, Sweden, Spitsbergen, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco (Mlodinow 1999). One particular Black-browed (named “Albert Ross”) visited, attempted courtship, and built nests in Northern Gannet colonies at Bass Rock, Shetlands and Sula Sgeir, Scotland annually for approximately 30 years (e.g., DuMont 1973, Mlodinow 1999). Given the higher frequency of sightings in Europe, it may be likely that sightings on the Atlantic coast of North America, particularly in the north, originate from birds that have crossed the equator along the African coast, and have ventured into and beyond the northern reaches of Europe. Despite the lack of confirmed sightings in the western North Atlantic, it is also possible that North American sightings originate from birds traveling up the Atlantic coast of South America. Acknowledgments Financial and logistical support for the survey was received from the Torngat Joint Fisheries Board. Special thanks to Rosamond Andersen and Beverly Blake at the Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat for their support during this survey, as well as Gerald Brothers for survey design and data analysis. I would especially like to extend my gratitude to Phil Davis of MD/DC Records Committee. I also appreciate the assistance of Jeremy T. Sterling, Tony Chubbs, Keith Chaulk, Peter G. Bush, and Ken and Carole Anne Coffey for their input into this paper. Thanks to 134 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 19, No. 1 W.A. Montevecchi, Dave Fifield, April Hedd, Bruce Mactavish, Paul Linegar, Steven G. Mlodinow, Ian McLaren, Blake Maybank, Matt Garvey, and Trevor Larkham for providing information on this and other sightings. Lastly I would like to acknowledge Captain Dennis Woodrow Burden and the crew of the M/V Labrador Venture for their dedicated work during the survey and for sharing in this rare and special experience. Literature Cited BirdLife International. 2009. Species factsheet: Thalassarche melanophrys. Available online at http://www.birdlife.org on 2/3/2010. Accessed 2 March 2010. Burg, T.M., and J.P. Croxall. 2001. Global relationships amongst Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses: Analysis of population structure using mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites. Molecular Ecology 10:2647–2660. Cherel, Y., H. Weimerskirch, and C. Trouvé. 2000. Food and feeding ecology of the neritic-slope forager Black-browed Albatross and its relationships with commercial fisheries in Kerguelen water. Marine Ecology Progress Series 207:183–99. Croxall, J.P., and R. Gales. 1998. An assessment of the conservation status of albatrosses. Pp. 46–66, In G. Robertson and R. Gales (Eds.). Albatross Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, New South Wales. 300 pp. Croxall, J.P., P.A. Prince, P. Rothery and A.G. Wood. 1998. Population changes in albatrosses at South Georgia. Pp. 69–83, In G. Robertson and R. Gales (Eds.). Albatross Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, New South Wales. 300 pp. Davis, P. 2009. Western North Atlantic albatross sighting data, version 23 as of 25 Oct 2009. Available online at http://pdavis.posterous.com/western-north-atlantic-albatross-sighting-dat. Accessed 6 November 2009. DuMont, P.G. 1973. Black-browed Albatross sightings off the United States east coast. American Birds 27(4):739–740 Frajka-Williams, E., P.B. Rhines, and C.C. Eriksen. 2009. Physical controls and mesoscale variability in the Labrador Sea spring phytoplankton bloom observed by Seaglider. Deep Sea Research 56(12):2144–2161. Gales, R. 1998. Albatross populations: Status and threats. Pp. 20–45, In G. Robertson and R. Gales (Eds.). Albatross Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, New South Wales. 300 pp. Head, E.J., L.R. Harris, R.W. Campbell. 2000. Investigations on the ecology of Calanus spp. in the Labrador Sea. I. Relationship between the phytoplankton bloom and reproduction and development of Calanus finmarchicus in spring. Marine Ecology Progress Series 193:53–73. Macpherson, A.G., and J.B. Macpherson. 1981. The natural environment of Newfoundland, past and present. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of Geography, St. John’s, NL, Canada. Mlodinow, S.G. 1999. Southern hemisphere albatrosses in North American waters. Birders Journal 8(3):131–141. Nel, D.C., P.G. Ryan, and B.P. Watkins. 2002. Seabird mortality in the Patagonian toothfish longline fishery around the Prince Edward Islands, 1996–2000. Antarctic Science 14(2):151–161 Patteson, J.B., M.A. Patten, and E.S. Brinkley. 1999. The Black-browed Albatross in North America. First photographically documented record. North American Birds 53(3):228–231. Reid, T.A., and B.J. Sullivan. 2004. Longliners, Black-browed Albatross mortality, and bait scavenging in Falkland Island waters: What is the relationship? Polar Biology 27:131–9. Weimerskirch, H. 1998. Foraging strategies of Indian Ocean albatrosses and their relationships with fisheries. Pp. 168–79, In G. Robertson and R. Gales (Eds.). Albatross Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, New South Wales. 300 pp. Weimerskirch, H., and P. Jouventin. 1998. Changes in population sizes and demographic parameters of six albatross species breeding on the French sub-Antarctic islands. Pp. 84–91, In G. Robertson and R. Gales (Eds.). Albatross Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, New South Wales. 300 pp.