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title: "ACAP Breeding Sites No. 29.  Pedra Branca, where Shy Albatrosses compete for space with Australasian Gannets"
---

# ACAP Breeding Sites No. 29.  Pedra Branca, where Shy Albatrosses compete for space with Australasian Gannets

![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra Branca from air Rachael Alderman s.jpg) 

 Pedra Branca (shown above on a calm day) is one of only three breeding sites of the ACAP-listed and Vulnerable Shy Albatross *Thalassarche cauta*, a species endemic to Australia.  The other two sites are [Albatross Island](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/en/news/latest-news/1343-acap-breeding-sites-no-18-albatross-island-bass-strait-home-of-australia-s-endemic-shy-albatross) and [Mewstone](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/en/news/latest-news/1378-acap-breeding-sites-no-28-mewstone-where-shy-albatrosses-get-vertical).  Aptly-named Pedra Branca (“white rock”) was named by Abel Tasman, after whom Tasmania is named.

 [![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra_Branca_by_Rachael_Alderman.jpg)](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/en/news/latest-news/1378-acap-breeding-sites-no-28-mewstone-where-shy-albatrosses-get-vertical)

 Pedra Branca (seen above on a less than calm day) lies off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania and, as does Mewstone, falls within the [Southwest National Park](http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=5940) and the [Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area](http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/181).  Pedra Branca is occasionally exposed to extreme wave action which is known to affect the breeding Australasian Gannets on the island and may also impact its albatross population.

  ![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra Branca from sea Rachael Alderman s1.jpg)

 Pedra from the sea – you can just see the police vessel taking a party to the island

 ![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra Branca with gannets Rachael Alderman s.jpg) 

 The few Shy Albatrosses (268 breeding pairs in 1996, with a downwards trend - chick production dropped from over 100 to 31 between 1993 and 2007) on the island share the limited breeding space with a growing colony (4% a year since 1985) of Australasian Gannets *Morus serrator*. 

 Read more in the [ACAP Species Assessment](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/species-assessments)for the Shy Albatross.

 ![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra Branca July 2011 Rachael Alderman s.jpg) 

 Even in the middle of winter, many gannets and albatross remain on the island

  ![](http://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Islands/Pedra Branca with gannets 2 Rachael Alderman s.jpg)

 Not too happy with its noisy neighbours?

 All photographs by Rachael Alderman

 **Selected References:**

 Alderman, R.L. 2012. [The Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta): Population Trends, Environmental and Anthropogenic Drivers, and the Future for Management and Conservation.](http://eprints.utas.edu.au/14711/)  PhD thesis, University of Tasmania. 180 pp.

 Alderman, R., Gales, R., Hobday, A.J. & Candy, S. 2010.  Post-fledging survival and dispersal of shy albatrosses from three breeding colonies in Tasmania. * *[*Marine Ecology Progress Series* 405: 271-285](http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v405/p271-285/).

 Alderman, R., Gales, R., Tuck, G.N. & Lebreton, J.D. 2011.  Global population status of shy albatross and an assessment of colony-specific trends and drivers.  *[Wildlife Research](http://ecite.utas.edu.au/77178)*[38: 672-686](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000632070700081X).

 Baker, G.B., Double, M.C., Gales, R., Tuck, G.N., Abbott, C.L., Ryan, P.G., Petersen, S.L., Robertson C.R. & Alderman, R. 2007.  A global assessment of the impact of fisheries-related mortality on shy and white-capped albatrosses: conservation implications.  *[Biological Conservation](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/news/latest-news/1378-acap-breeding-sites-no-28-mewstone-where-shy-albatrosses-get-vertical)*[137: 319-333](http://www.acap.aq/index.php/news/latest-news/1378-acap-breeding-sites-no-28-mewstone-where-shy-albatrosses-get-vertical).

 Brothers, N., Pemberton, D., Pryor, H. & Halley V. 2001.  Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: Seabirds and other Natural Features.  Hobart: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.  641 pp.

 *Rachael Alderman, Marine Conservation Program, Biodiversity Conservation Branch, [Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment](http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/Home/1?Open) & John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 May 2013*