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Star-Bulletin file photo
Carly Shriver offers food to an albatross at Sea Life Park
that has cataracts and may be over 14 years old.

Conservationists
flock to Waikiki to try to
save imperiled albatrosses

Star-Bulletin staff

The second International Conference on the Biology and Conservation of Albatrosses and Other Petrels began yesterday and will continue through Friday at the Ilikai Hotel.

About 150 experts from around the world are attending to learn of advancements in biology and technology that may help save the birds from extinction.

The conference is open to the public and runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The first three days will include scientific presentations on general biology, behavior, genetics, population status, and foraging ecology of albatrosses and other petrels.

Tomorrow, the fisheries bycatch issues, mitigation techniques, policy and international initiatives to conserve seabirds will be discussed.

The workshops on Thursday and Friday will concern conservation issues such as fisheries bycatch, including the progress made in implementing the international plan for eliminating longline fishing mortality to birds.

Seabird biologists, conservationists, and fisheries industry representatives from 17 nations around the Pacific, South America, South Africa, Canada and Europe are attending the meetings. More information is available by calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 541-2749 or on the Internet at http://www.planet-hawaii.com/environment/introduction.htm.