Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:13:p44
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 44/98)
Character Range: 343449–346322

and up to 29% during some breeding phases) (McInnes et al. 2020).
Shy albatrosses are less oceanic than many other albatross species, are usually found over the continental shelf, and regularly venture close to shore along the coasts of Tasmania and southern Australia (Brothers et al. 1998, Hedd et al. 2001, Reid et al. 2002). The range also extends to southern Africa and into the southern Atlantic Ocean (Barton 1979, Blakers et al. 1984, Tickell 1995, Reid et al. 2002, BirdLife International 2004, Abbott et al. 2006a, Jiménez et al. 2015). During the breeding season, adults forage close to their colonies, usually within 300 km in continental shelf waters (Hedd et al. 2001). Sub-adult dispersal appears to be colony specific with birds from Albatross Island remaining in southern Australian waters, and some birds from the Mewstone dispersing between South Africa and New Zealand, noting that there are no records of immature birds banded at Pedra Branca being recovered away from that colony (Brothers et al. 1997).

Species distribution in Australia

The Shy Albatross only nests on Albatross Island, the Mewstone and Pedra Branca off Tasmania (Figure 2). Tracking studies, band recoveries and genetic identification of Shy Albatross bycaught during fishing operations indicate that adult birds predominantly occur in waters adjacent to Tasmania and southern Australia (Brothers et al. 1997, Abbott et al. 2006a). The range of juvenile birds extends however across the Indian Ocean to southern Africa and potentially the south-western Atlantic Ocean (Barton 1979, Alderman 2012, Jiménez et al. 2015).
Significant harvesting of adult Shy Albatross for their feathers and eggs occurred at Albatross Island during the 1800s with the subpopulation declining from about 20,000 birds to about 300 birds by the end of that century, with the population slowly recovering since then (Green 1974, Johnstone et al. 1975, Brooke 2004).
Shy Albatross is subject to ongoing long-term monitoring on Albatross Island, with aerial surveys used for the Mewstone and Pedra Branca, as access to these locations is restricted for logistical and safety reasons. The number of breeding pairs in 2019/20 was estimated at 5385 (4910-5947) on Albatross Island and 81 (± 1) on Pedra Branca, with around 10,000 (± 200) pairs estimated on the Mewstone in 2014/15 (DPIPWE 2021b).

Population estimates and trends

The breeding population of Shy Albatross is considered stable on Albatross Island based on a TRIM analysis (Pannekoek & van Strien 2006) over the past 10 years, at the Mewstone the trend is uncertain, with Pedra Branca experiencing a steep decline over the same period (DPIPWE 2021b). Population models predict a decline in the number of breeding females in the Albatross Island subpopulation over three generations, but discrepancies exist between the predictions and the most