EXCHANGE OF THE WANDERING ALBATROSS DIOMEDEA EXULANSBETWEEN THE PRINCE EDWARD AND CROZET ISLANDS: IMPLICATIONSFOR CONSERVATION

Exchange of 61 wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans has been recorded between the French Crozet Islandsand the South African Prince Edward Islands, 1 068 km apart in the Southern Ocean. Most movements of bandedbirds (57) have been westwards, from the Crozets to the Prince Edwards, In all, 18 fledglings banded atPossession Island, Crozets, have bred at Marion Island, Prince Edwards, but only one fledgling from MarionIsland has been recorded breeding on Possession. The wandering albatrosses of the two island groups form ametapopulation that ideally should be conserved as a single unit. It is suggested that France and South Africa col-laborate through the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels to effect an improved conservationstatus for the wandering albatrosses of the two island groups

J. COOPER and H. WEIMERSKIRCH, Afr. J. mar. Sci. 25: 519-523 2003