DLNR Asking for Help During Laysan Albatross Breeding Season

A Laysan albatross flying in Kilauea, Kaua‘i’s North Shore. Photo courtesy of Dick Daniels

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is reminding Kaua‘i residents that Laysan albatross breeding season on Kaua‘i is from November through July.

DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife is distributing informational flyers on Kaua‘i in the Moloa‘a and Waipake residential areas of north Kaua‘i, to encourage the public to help protect these vulnerable seabirds.

Laysan albatross nest primarily in Hawai‘i (99 percent) and are very loyal to their breeding areas. They nest on the ground, making them particularly vulnerable to predation by dogs and cats. Female albatross only lay a single egg each year. Adults can live more than 60 years.

A Laysan albtross feeding her chick, on Midway Atoll. Photo by Ryan Hagerty/US Fish and Wildlife

The DLNR is asking for help in protecting the native birds, and is urging residents to pets indoors, on a leash, in a kennel or in a fenced yard. Also, to give wild birds space; do not crowd or disturb them.

The Laysan albatross is listed as near threatened under the IUCN Red List and is a federally protected species. Their population on Kaua‘i is slowly rebuilding after a lengthy absence. They face a number of threats including by-catch in long-line fisheries, ingestion of plastics and predation by introduced mammals, particularly dogs. In recent years there have been a number of incidents where dogs have gotten into albatross colonies and killed large numbers of nesting birds.

“We are asking dog owners to be responsible with their pets when walking along our coastal areas,” said Kaua‘i DOFAW biologist Thomas Ka‘iakapu. “The message is simple — keep your dogs under control and on their leads. That way we can prevent these kinds of incidents from happening over and over again”.

To report a loose dog, please call the Humane Society at 632‐0610 or DLNR‐Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at 274‐3521 or after hours at 643‐DLNR.

To report an injured or dead bird, call DLNR, Division of Forestry and Wildlife at 274‐3433.