The albatross - legendary protector of seafarers - is heading for extinction. Biologists have discovered that swordfish and tuna fishing fleets are eliminating more than 100,000 of these birds every year. In a couple of decades most species will be wiped out unless urgent action is taken. This alarming conclusion, to be outlined this week at a major zoological conference in London, is based on a new generation of tracking units that have been monitoring the behaviour of these giant birds for the past few years. The instruments have shown that albatrosses are capable of astonishing feats of endurance and navigation, and can fly round the world several times without stopping on land. During their lives, they fly the equivalent of 50 return trips to the moon: more than 10 million miles. 'However, our research has discovered that albatrosses are being killed at a horrific rate,' said Professor John Croxall, of the British Antarctic Survey. 'The trouble stems from long-line fishing in which boats tow huge, heavily baited lines. The albatrosses try to eat the bait and get dragged down and drowned.' Albatrosses breed once every one or two years. While rearing youngsters, parents undergo journeys of thousands of miles to find food. However, these vast distances increase the albatrosses' chance of encountering a fishing fleet. Many get tangled in mile-long lines laced with bait. Most fleet owners deny causing anything but the occasional death. However, recent data makes clear that more than 100,000 albatrosses a year may die in lines. 'The problem is that albatrosses - no matter the species - breed relatively infrequently and only by the time they are 12 to 15 years old,' said Croxall. 'They used to live to around the age of 50, so that was not a great problem. But now they are being killed off before they can reach even half that age.' Measures include weighting lines so they sink quickly and do not entice birds, setting lines at night, and setting off bird-scaring lines - made up of multi-coloured streamers to startle seabirds. 'All these measures are relatively simple to implement and cost only a few dollars,' Croxall said. 'However, we have to convince fleet managers that it is worth their while. We reckon they are losing about ￡10 million a year because albatrosses are getting caught on their lines, preventing fish from being caught.' (Agencies) | 信天翁--傳說中航海人的守護者--已經瀕臨滅絕了。生物學家發現，每年有10萬多只信天翁被捕捉旗魚或金槍魚的漁船殺死。如果不采取緊急措施，幾十年之后，大部分的信天翁種類都會滅絕。 在過去的幾年中，科學家利用一種新型跟蹤設備對信天翁的行為進行了監控，才得出了這一驚人的結論，并在本周于倫敦召開的一個動物學會議上將之公布。 這一跟蹤儀器還表明，信天翁有極強的耐力和航海能力，能夠繞地球飛行幾圈而不著陸。它們一生的行程約有一千多萬英里，相當于往返地球與月球之間50次。  英國南極勘查局教授約翰·克羅克索爾說："然而，我們的研究人員發現，信天翁正以驚人的速度被殺死，而兇手正是延繩釣捕魚作業。信天翁總是被延繩釣的誘餌所吸引，從而被布滿誘餌的繩子纏繞溺死。"
信天翁每一或二年繁殖一次，為了喂養孩子，他們跋涉數千英里去覓食。也正是這樣的長途跋涉增加了信天翁碰上捕魚船的幾率。它們被布滿誘餌的長長的魚線纏住無法脫身。大部分漁船都否認這一嚴重后果，只承認偶爾會有信天翁死在魚線上。然而，最新數據表明，每年有超過十萬只信天翁喪生于此。 克羅克索爾說："問題在于不論何種信天翁，都只有滿12至15歲后才會繁殖，次數也不多。他們通常的壽命有50年，但現在他們還沒到繁殖年齡的一半就已經被殺死了。" 可以挽救信天翁的方法包括加重延繩釣線的重量，使它們可以迅速下沉而不會纏住鳥兒；在夜晚布釣線或在釣線上加上彩帶驚嚇鳥兒，使其不敢靠近等。 克羅克索爾說："所有的措施操作起來都相當簡單，花費也很少。但我們必須讓漁船經營者相信這么做是值得的。根據我們計算，如果信天翁被纏在他們的釣線上，他們每年會因為少捉魚而損失約一千萬英鎊。" （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2003-03-12 01:00
