Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:13:p73
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 73/98)
Character Range: 432489–436160

across the southern Pacific Ocean and western seaboard of South America. Juveniles begin returning to colonies after at least three years, and commence breeding on average when 10-11 years of age (Francis & Sagar 2012). Generation length is estimated at 19.6 years (Bird et al. 2020).

Species distribution in Australia

Australia is within the foraging range of Buller's Albatross (Figure 13). Tracking studies and at-sea studies indicate that dispersal from the breeding colonies is generally in the higher latitudes of the Pacific Ocean, but may extend northwards along the west coast of South America to the equator, and includes south-eastern Australia (Stahl et al. 1998, BirdLife International 2004, ACAP 2012b).

Population estimates and trends

The global population is considered stable and there are no projections of decline over three generations (BirdLife International 2018n). There were an estimated 33,200 breeding pairs in 2019 (ACAP 2022).

Habitat critical to survival of species

The species is limited to 10 breeding sites in New Zealand on the Chatham Islands, Solander Islands, Snares Islands, and Three Kings Islands, with the largest population on the Forty Fours in the Chatham Islands (ACAP 2012b).

Threats

The risk matrix for Buller's Albatross is provided at Table 31, with the threats occurring in Australia's jurisdiction highlighted.

Table 31: Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) risk matrix.
Likelihood of occurrence  Consequences

Not significant           Minor         Moderate                                                                                                           Major                                                                                  Catastrophic

Almost certain                          Competition with native species: habitat damage by fur seals, predation of chicks by Weka (Gallirallus australis)  Fisheries interactions: pelagic longline, demersal longline, trawl, artisanal fishing

                                        Marine pollution: marine plastics ingestion

Likely                                                                                                                                                     Climate variability and change: habitat damage from severe storms

Possible

Unlikely

Rare or Unknown

Note: Threats occurring in Australia's jurisdiction are highlighted in bold.
Figure 13: Modelled Australian distribution of Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri).

Thalassarche carteri Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Rothschild 1903)
Family: Diomedeidae

Taxonomy

Thalassarche carteri (Rothschild 1903) is accepted nomenclature for the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Robertson 2002, ACAP 2012k). There has been significant taxonomic debate about the classification of Diomedeidae including, but not limited to, the introduction of the genus Thalassarche by Reichenbach (1852). Originally Thalassogeron carteri Rothschild 1903, within the genus Thalassogeron that had been introduced by Baird et al. (1884). Thalassogeron carteri was considered distinct from Thalassogeron chlororhynchos Gmelin 1789, the nomenclature for the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross at that time (Rothschild 1903). The Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross was included in the resurrected genus Thalassarche (Reichenbach 1852) at the specific level as Thalassarche carteri based on genetic analyses (Nunn et al. 1996, Robertson & Nunn 1998). ACAP has concluded on advice from its Taxonomy Working Group that available data warrant recognition of Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross at the specific level with the nomenclature generally accepted (Brooke et al. 2007, ACAP 2012k).

Current