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title: "Waved Albatrosses and White-chinned Petrels forage on discards from a Peruvian squid fishery"
---

# Waved Albatrosses and White-chinned Petrels forage on discards from a Peruvian squid fishery

*![Waved Albatross Espanola Galapagos Ken Logan 3](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/W/Waved/Waved_Albatross_Espanola_Galapagos_Ken_Logan_3.jpg)  
Waved Albatross at sea; photograph by Ken Logan*

 Carlos Moreno ([Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas](https://facbio.unitru.edu.pe/), Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru) and Javier Quiñones have published in the open-access journal *[Marine Ornithology](http://www.marineornithology.org/content/get.cgi?p=idx)* on albatrosses and petrels associated with an artisanal squid fishery off Peru.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “We report on the occurrence of albatrosses (Diomedeidae) and petrels (Procellariidae) associated with an artisanal small-scale fishery (SSF) for Humboldt Squid *Dosidicus gigas* in waters of southern Peru during El Niño 2015-2016 and coastal El Niño 2017. We deployed as observers on a number of fishing trips to assess seabird interactions. White-chinned Petrels *Procellaria aequinoctialis* and Waved Albatross *Phoebastria irroata* were the most abundant species observed, followed by Salvin's *Thalassarche salvini* and Chatham albatross *T. eremita*, and Cape Petrels *Daption capense*. The majority of procellariid species (> 60% of total birds) visited while vessels were positioned over the continental slope. Salvin's and Chatham albatross, and White-chinned Petrels, were mostly absent during summer (only 5% and 15% of birds present, respectively), but Waved Albatross and Cape Petrels were present year-round. Thus, the prevalence of each of these species was disproportionate relative to expectation based on non-fishery surveys. All assessed species foraged on offal discards associated with the fishery (~17%), with a higher frequency of consumption among Salvin's (27%) and Chatham (21%) albatross; in contrast, Waved Albatross largely fed on pelagic fish at the surface. Bycatch rate was found to be low: one Chatham Albatross was hooked and released in a hand-held squid jig (0.042 By Catch Per Unit Effort [BPUE] per fishing trip, *n* = 16). Probably due to El Niño conditions, Waved Albatross were more abundant than expected (43.9% of albatross, and 2.8% of total seabirds observed) and were 1 300-1 400 km farther south than their usual southern limits. We report the first sighting of Southern Royal Albatross *Diomedea epomophora* in Peru. Bycatch in longline fisheries are a conservation concern, but the magnitude and constant growth of SSFs, especially for Humboldt Squid, needs to be further investigated.”

 **Reference:**

 Moreno, c. & Quiñones, J. 2022.  Albatross and petrel interactions with an artisanal squid fishery in southern Peru during El Niño, 2015-2017.  *[Marine Ornithology 50: 49-56](http://www.marineornithology.org/content/get.cgi?rn=1459)*.

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 23 March 2022*