A Laysan Albatross lies dead below a warning sign aimed to protect breeding seabirds

ACAP Latest News has previously reported on the depredations of Layan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis by stray and unleashed dogs on the Hawaiian island of Kauai in the past (click here) but the problem still continues.

The latest reported victim of a dog attack is of a seven-year old bird  found at Pila Beach on Kauai's north shore that was banded as a chick in 2019 and thought to be a non-breeder, according to Hob Osterlund.

Jeanine Meyers, who lives in nearby Princeville on the island, has written on Facebook about the incident: “I am at the site of a dead albatross report we got this morning [17 February 2026].  I found this beautiful soul right under the Seabird Nesting Area sign which states “Keep dogs on leash at all times.”  This is the reason why!  It only takes a few seconds for a dog to grab it by the neck and shake it, thus snapping the neck and killing the bird.  It is the dog’s instinct, but it’s human responsibility to leash your pet.  Don’t be a donkey, leash your dogs!”

Kauai is one the few places where albatrosses breed on an inhabited island, placing them at risk to free-roaming pet dogs, and their chicks to feral cats and pigs, the latter which also take eggs.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 25 February 2026

A Laysan Albatross rests under a tree in the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, photograph by the Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuge

Recent funding will help improve the conservation of Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis and other seabirds on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.  The planned work fits well with this year’s theme for World Albatross Day on 19 June of “Habitat Restoration”.

“The U.S. Navy and Friends of Kaua‘i Wildlife Refuges signed [in August 2025] a [US]$800k Cooperative Agreement under the Department of War (DOW) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program.  This collaborative effort funds a multi-year project that is mutually beneficial to both the DOW and the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex.”

Habitat restoration work is already underway in the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge with the removal of large stands of invasive Ironwood Casuarina equisetifolia trees within the Laysan Albatross colony, photograph by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

“The REPI funding will expand Pacific Missile Range Facility’s (PMRF) mōlī (Laysan albatross) egg swap program to improve fledgling survival and reduce nesting in unsafe locations; implement enhanced control of invasive predators to protect endangered birds; strengthen biosecurity protocols to keep invasive species out of nesting sites; reduce bird aircraft strike hazards on the Mana airfield at PMRF; remove invasive plants and restore native vegetation to create higher-quality nesting habitat; and monitor and repair fence lines at the Kaua‘i National Wildlife Refuge Complex to help protect native birds.

This collaborative effort will help ensure that federally listed and protected seabirds and waterbirds can thrive in protected habitats, while also benefiting the DOW by reducing Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) risks to Navy pilots.”

Read more here.

Read about placement of matting to deter plant growth against the predator-proof fence at the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 24 February 2026

This year’s Pacific Seabird Group's Annual Meeting (its 53rd) is being held held online from 23-27 February, with the theme "Seabirds: Connecting Oceans, Islands, and People”.

A list by first authors and titles of six oral and poster presentations on ACAP-listed species follows.  Four albatross species are considered, the three North Pacific albatrosses in the genus Phoebastria and the Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris of the sub-Antarctic.  Find their abstracts and all authors by scrolling to the presentation numbers in the Abstract Booklet.

9.  Nao Ota. Non-dyadic interactions during courtship communication in Short-tailed Albatrosses

15.  Jingqi Corey Liu.  Offspring telomere length reveals dissociation between parental and offspring quality in a long-lived seabird, the Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) [=melanophris]

51.  Rachael Orben.  Using high-resolution satellite imagery to document the population change of two colonies of Short-tailed Albatross

60. Madeline Adams.  Looking at total mercury levels and species identification in Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) and Black-Footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) eggs from Midway Atoll

64.  Shiori Terretta.  Plastic ingestion of translocated Black-footed Albatross chicks

79.  Caitlin Dudzik, Early bird special: quantifying Tiger Shark predation on albatross fledglings at Kure Atoll

Presentations will also be made on northern hemisphere petrels, shearwaters and storm petrels, with emphasis on those that breed on the inhabited Hawaiian islands.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 22 February 2026

Registration and a call for symposia have opened for the fifth International Conference on Island Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (Island Biology Conference) to be held in Atami City, Japan from 2-6 November 2026.  A mid-conference excursion to Izu Oshima Island as well as organized trips before and after the conference are planned (click here for details).  The conference will be held on behalf of the Society of Island Biology.

“Islands are renowned for their extraordinary biota - inspiring biologists and providing key insights into evolution, biogeography, and ecology.  As a result of the devastating effects of human colonization, island ecosystems face severe threats, and island conservation has become a vital international concern.”

“Scientists are generating data on the world's islands at an unprecedented pace and now is an opportune time to bring together island biologists from around the world to synthesize developments in the field.  An international conference consisting of plenary lectures, symposia, contributed talks, and posters will examine a broad range of taxa, regions, and biological disciplines.  This conference is held on islands around the world, at which island biologists can come together, share insights, and develop collaborations that will accelerate the pace and effectiveness of island research and conservation.”

Learn more and register here.

Previous International Conferences on Island Ecology, Evolution and Conservation were held in Hawaii, USA in 2014 (1st), Azores, Portugal in 2016 (2nd), Réunion, France in 2019 (3rd) and Italy in 2023 (4th).

Information from Wieteke Holthuijzen, Pacific Seabird Group.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 20 February 2026