Spatial segregation and bycatch risk as potential drivers of population trends of wandering albatrosses at South Georgia.

ABSTRACT: Spatial segregation in at-sea distribution is frequently observed in seabirds and can have important implications for conservation and management. Globally, many albatross and petrel populations are declining due to bycatch in fisheries. In South Georgia, the decrease in wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) differs among breeding sites, which could reflect segregation in foraging areas, leading to differing degrees of overlap with particular fishing fleets and hence unequal bycatch risk. We investigated whether spatial segregation could explain the different rates of population decline of wandering albatrosses at South Georgia. We tracked wandering albatrosses from 2 breeding sites at South Georgia, Prion Island, and Bird Island, located 50 km apart. We investigated potential causes of

SUBMITTER: Warwick-Evans V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12856804 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature