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BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report

Phoebastria immutabilis
Laysan Albatross

 
Scientific Name: Phoebastria immutabilis
English Name: Laysan Albatross
   
Provincial Status Summary
Status: S3N
Date Status Assigned: April 23, 2015
Date Last Reviewed: March 05, 2015
Reasons: Sporadically observed off of the west coast; however numbers are increasing overall as are the frequency of sightings. Laysan Albatross does not breed in B.C. therefore the rank refers to its status as a non-breeder.
 
Range
Range Extent: G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km
Range Extent Comments: Found in almost all of the EEZ ~ 400,000 km2 (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses & Petrels, 2010). Offshore and in pelagic waters of west coast of Vancouver Island north to Queen Charlotte Islands (Campbell et al. 1990).
Area of Occupancy (km2): U = Unknown
 
Occurrences & Population
Number of Occurrences: U = Unknown
Comments: 14 records offshore and in pelagic waters of BC: 11 west coast of Vancouver Island and 2 from Queen Charlotte Islands (Campbell et al. 1990). These do not necessarily constitute an occurrence as they are disparate sightings.
Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: Rank Factor not assessed
Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: A = None
Comments: Occurs in non-protected pelagic waters off BC.
Population Size: C = 250 - 1,000 individuals
Comments: Estimated 250-1,000 individuals using BC waters (Morgan pers comm). Updated population estimate of 591,000 pairs (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 2010). Very rare vagrant along outer coast (Campbell et al. 1990). The world breeding Laysan albatross population has increased greatly; from an estimated 18,000 pairs in 1923 to 590,000 pairs in 2005 (USGS 2009), therefore it is likely that there has been an increase in birds off of the BC coast.
 
Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected)
Degree of Threat: Localized substantial threat
Comments: Incidental mortality (bycatch) in commercial fisheries is the greatest anthropogenic source of mortality (post-fledging) . The 2005 estimate of bycatch is 5,228 birds per year, however as a safegaurd for estimating by-catch the number is doubled (USGS 2009). Other threats to Laysan Albatrosses include predation by introduced mammals, reduced reproductive output due to contaminants, nesting habitat loss and degradation due to human development and invasive plant species, and potential loss and degradation of habitat due to climate change and sea-level rise. These latter threats are not ones that will occur within BC, whereas the by-catch issue is a threat found within BC waters and upon which the threat assessment is based.
 
Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences)
Short-Term Trend: HI = Increase of >10%
Comments: Global trends should be similar to what is found within BC waters (Morgan pers. comm). 

Unknown in BC, first observed in Canada in 1968. [Large numbers were killed for their feathers in past. 1955-1964, about 54,000 were killed during US Navy control programs (Fisher 1966), resulting in some breeding colonies being extirpated (Rice and Kenyon 1962). The world breeding Laysan albatross population has increased greatly; from an estimated 18,000 pairs in 1923 to 590,000 pairs in 2005 , therefore it is likely that there has been an increase in birds off of the BC coast. Matrix modeling results indicate that the Laysan albatross population, summed across all three colonies (Midway Atoll, Laysan Island, and French Frigate Shoals), increased 6.7 percent per year from 1992 to 2005, and the estimated bycatch of 2,500 birds per year is less than the estimated Potential Biological Removal (PBR - the maximum number of mortalities, not including natural deaths, while maintaining an optimum sustainable population). (USGS 2009).

Declines are projected globally (Birdlife International 2010).
Long-Term Trend: U = Unknown
 
Other Factors
Intrinsic Vulnerability: Rank Factor not assessed
Environmental Specificity: Rank Factor not assessed
Other Rank Considerations:
 
Information Gaps
Research Needs: Continued research into ways of minimizing trawl by-catch.
Inventory Needs: Eastern north Pacific Ocean has poor observer coverage (nonbreeders are scattered and do not follow ships frequently). Reports of bycatch can be used for some inventory.
 
Stewardship
Protection:
Management:
 
Version
Author: Ramsay, L.R. and B. Niedzielski
Date: February 05, 2015
 
References
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 2010. http://www.acap.aq/en
BirdLife International. 2010. Species factsheet: Phoebastria immutabilis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 31 May 2010.
Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I.McT. Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G. Kaiser, and M.C.E. McNall. 1990. The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 1. Nonpasserines: Introduction, Loons through Waterfowl. Royal B.C. Mus. in association with Environ. Can., Can. Wildl. Serv. 514pp.
Fisher, H.I. 1966. Airplane - albatross collisions on Midway Atoll. Condor 68:229-242.
Morgan, Ken. Personal Communication. Canadian Wildlife Service, Sidney, BC.
Rice, D.W., and K.W. Kenyon. 1962. Breeding distribution, history, and populations of north Pacific albatrosses. Auk 79:365-386.
Sanger, G.A. 1974. Pelagic studies of seabirds in the central and eastern North Pacific Ocean: IV Laysan Albatross (Diomedea immutabilis). Smithsonian Contributions to Zool. 158:129-153.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2015. Conservation Status Report: Phoebastria immutabilis. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 24, 2026).