POPULATION-DYNAMICS OF THE WANDERING ALBATROSS (DIOMEDEA-EXULANS) ON MACQUARIE ISLAND AND THE EFFECTS OF MORTALITY FROM LONGLINE FISHING

The estimated breeding population of wandering albatrosses on Macquari e Island increased from 17 in 1956 to a maximum of 97 in 1966, and the n declined at an average rate of 8.1% per year. Mark-recapture analysi s shows that the population is not closed (i.e., subject to immigratio n and emigration). The decline is correlated with the onset of large-s cale fishing for tuna in the southern hemisphere using longlines. The effect of longline mortality on the population dynamics of the wanderi ng albatross is estimated. An annual number of longline hooks in the s outhern hemisphere tuna fishery of 41.6 million is calculated as the c eiling below which the population would begin to recover.