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title: "Overlap of Black-footed, Laysan and Short-tailed Albatrosses with North Pacific fisheries: which one is the problem?"
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# Overlap of Black-footed, Laysan and Short-tailed Albatrosses with North Pacific fisheries: which one is the problem?

Troy Guy ([Washington Sea Gran](http://wsg.washington.edu/)t, University of Washington, Seattle, USA) and colleagues have published in the journal [*Fisheries Research*](http://www.journals.elsevier.com/fisheries-research) on the overlap between the three North Pacific albatrosses and U.S. west coast groundfish and shrimp fisheries.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “We used a combination of seabird data (both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent) and fishing-effort data to evaluate the relative fisheries risk of five west coast groundfish fisheries and one shrimp fishery to black-footed (*Phoebastria nigripes*), short-tailed (*P. albatrus*) and Laysan albatrosses (*P. immutabilis*).  To assess risk, an overlap index was derived as the product of total fishing effort and at-sea survey density of black-footed albatross.  This index was used as the primary tool to estimate overlap with the endangered, relatively rare short-tailed albatross, which show similar habitat utilization from satellite telemetry tracks.  Telemetry data indicate Laysan albatross primarily occur offshore beyond observed fishing effort.  Black-footed and short-tailed albatross-fishery overlap was highest at the shelf-break (201–1000 m) north of 36° N.  Overlap and reported albatross mortality indicate that the sablefish (*Anoplopoma fimbria*) longline and Pacific hake (*Merluccius productus*) catcher-processor fisheries pose the greatest risk to these species; the near-shore rockfish (*Seabastes* spp.) longline, pink shrimp (*Pandalus jordani*) trawl, California halibut (*Paralichthys californicus*) trawl, and non-hake groundfish trawl fisheries pose relatively little risk.  Implementing proven seabird bycatch-reduction measures will likely minimize albatross mortality in the highest-risk fishery, sablefish longline.”

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/S/Short_tailed/Short-Tailed_Albatross_by_Aleks_Terauds1.jpg)

 Short-tailed Albatross at sea, photographed by Aleks Terauds

 **Reference:**

 Guy, T.J. & 19 others 2013.  Overlap of North Pacific albatrosses with the U.S. west coast groundfish and shrimp fisheries.  [*Fisheries Research* 147: 222-234](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783613001616).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 July 2013*