The Potential of Archival Tags to Provide Long-term Movement and Behaviour Data for Seabirds: First Results from Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans of South Georgia and the Crozet Islands

Abstract

This paper reports the first attempts at geo-location of albatrosses using miniature data loggers attached to seabirds for extended periods of time. The paper highlights the potential of data loggers to gain insights into the foraging distribution and behaviour of seabirds. Archival tags recording light and temperature were placed on non-breeding Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans from South Georgia and the Crozet Islands. Estimates of position for a Wandering Albatross from the Crozet Islands indicated an extensive journey from southern Africa across the Indian Ocean to south-eastern Australia and east of New Zealand. A Wandering Albatross from South Georgia apparently moved east across the Atlantic Ocean, while another moved west to longitudes approximating the Patagonian Shelf. These areas correspond to previously known movement patterns to areas of high activity by Southern Ocean longline fishing fleets. Albatrosses are an important by-catch of these fisheries, and knowledge of the spatial and temporal distributions of these threatened species will assist assessments of interactions and risk.