A Campbell Albatross goes north to Peru

Campbell Albatross observed on 17 July 2024, ~95 km off Ilo, southern Peru, photograph by Javier Quiñones, from the publication

Javier Quiñones (Instituto del Mar del Perú, Callao, Perú) and Carlos Moreno have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on a sighting of a Vulnerable Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida in waters off Peru.  The record adds a new range state for the ACAP-listed species.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“We report the first confirmed record of Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida in Peruvian waters, observed on 17 June 2024 at 18°31'S, 72°39'W during an Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)-funded at-sea survey.  This sighting occurred approximately 1,650 km north of previous sightings in the Humboldt Current.  Two records of the species in Chilean waters, one from March and the other from May 2022, were previously reported.  The Chilean sightings occurred within outer shelf and upper slope waters (200-400 m depth), whereas the Peruvian record occurred in waters over the outer continental slope (~4,000 m depth).  Multi-species assemblages at each location reflected the latitudinal oceanographic gradient, transitioning from austral migrants in Chilean waters to subtropical and tropical species off Peru.  Although no bycatch of this species has been reported in South American fisheries, other albatross species have been caught; therefore, its known attraction to longline vessels and discarded bait represents a latent risk.  Enhanced observer coverage in eastern South Pacific longline fisheries between 18° and 47°S during the austral autumn and winter is recommended to assess fishery interactions and monitor the occurrence of this species and other seabirds in the region.”

Yellow circles represent the three sightings of Campbell Albatrosses.  The turquoise line represents the boundaries of Peruvian (northernmost) and Chilean EEZs.  The Peruvian sighting is >1600 km north of the northernmost Chilean sighting, from the publication

Reference:

Quiñones, J. & Moreno, C.A. 2026.  Northward extension of Campbell Albatross Thalassarche impavida in the eastern South Pacific Ocean.  Marine Ornithology 54: 321-325.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 23 October 2026