
Albatrosses counted from space - T-A
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39797373
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pvaldes
In fact is more like "albatrosses counted manually one to one on a satellite
image from some desktop on planet earth, that is a little less glamurous.

But is very interesting in any case.

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rectangletangle
The technique presented in the article is very interesting, and it show's
promise for accurately surveying and conserving many species.

However I'm skeptical of this quote.

"Commercial fishing has depleted the stocks on which these seabirds also feed,
and the baited longline gear used by some vessels has an unpleasant knack for
attracting foragers and pulling them underwater where they drown."

From my several seasons of experience long-lining black cod off the California
coast, I suspect that albatross are a species which directly benefit from
commercial fishing (population wise). Black-footed albatross follow boats
around scavenging the deep water bycatch, these fish would otherwise be
physically inaccessible to them. These deep water fish are in a distinct
ecosystem, and only have indirect interaction via the transitive nature of the
food web.

Anecdotally, I've _never_ seen one get caught in gear. So I strongly suspect
physical danger from long-line gear has an insignificant impact on their
overall population. Since the birds are very common, and attracted to the
boats/bycatch, there would seem to be plenty of opportunity for the gear to
harm the birds. They appear intelligent enough to actively avoid the gear,
maintaining a close but safe proximity.

Now this isn't to say that there aren't any anthropogenic impacts on their
population. However, any impacts likely stem from other more diffuse human
activity (climate change). Also I can only speak for species endemic to
Californian/Alaskan water's, though I believe their behavior is probably
pretty universal.

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emj
To hear someone talk about albatrosses from his local perspective is amazing.

That said you are using anecdotal observations from an area which is located
more than 10 000 km from the habitat of these Albatrosses. There is a recorded
history of deplating fish stocks around the world and how it effects fauna, so
I would say the statement in the article has a lot more to it than your
comment.

That said I know too little about albatrosses and fishing in the California
current, so for me your view on your local area is interesting, and I really
hope it's true because meeting albatrosses on the open sea is on my bucket
list.

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jjwiseman
Reminds me of counting ships via satellite imagery:
[https://www.planet.com/pulse/experimenting-with-the-deep-
dat...](https://www.planet.com/pulse/experimenting-with-the-deep-data-stack-
ship-counting/)

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wolf550e
[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.12482/full](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.12482/full)

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theprop
Wow...extraordinary the detail they can resolve to. Probably we'll all be
tracked in real time by AI bots analyzing real time satellite video feeds
soon...

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tentacle_
A UAV launched from a nearby ship would have provided much better imagery.

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asquabventured
I love your in depth analysis, thank you.

