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The North Pacific Albatross Working Group (NPAWG) was formed in 2000 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, during a meeting sponsored by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and the US National Marine Fisheries Service. The focus of the working group is the conservation of the three North Pacific albatrosses: Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes, Laysan P. immutabilis and Short-tailed P. albatrus. These three species are now listed from this month within ACAP.

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 The goal of the NPAWG is to improve albatross conservation in the North Pacific through enhanced communication and coordination for protection, management, monitoring, outreach and research activities, both nationally and internationally. 

The objectives of the group are to:

1)  identify current and emerging albatross protection, management, monitoring, outreach and research issues and corresponding priority activities and information needs,

2)  promote the exchange and publication of albatross information of mutual interest to scientists and managers across the North Pacific Ocean,

3)  implement data collection and analyses of compatible protocols based on the best available science,

4)  facilitate the development of cooperative and collaborative protection, management, monitoring, outreach and research activities and plans based on an interdisciplinary understanding of North Pacific albatross ecology and marine habitats, and

Pacific albatrosses.

NPAWG is run with an open membership.  Participation in NPAWG is open to all resource managers, industry representatives, scientists, education/outreach specialists and others with an interest in North Pacific albatrosses, especially from Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan and the United States.  Meetings of the group are held at least once a year, usually in association with annual meetings of the Pacific Seabird Group.

The NPAWG Listserver serves to keep contact between members.  The newly-elected Chair of the NPAWG is Jo Smith of The Nature Conservancy.