Pacific Islands Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Data Form

This request is for revision and extension of a currently approved information collection. Two minor revisions were made to the Recovery Data Form based on comments for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: On page 1 of the form, the statement “If a photo is taken, attach to form when submitted.” was added to the Photograph field; on the bottom of page 2 instruction was added to submit the form and photo (if taken) to U.S. Fish & Wildlife by email. Mitigation measures to reduce interactions between seabirds and the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fisheries require that longline vessel operators notify the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), or the U.S. Coast Guard if an endangered short-tailed albatross (STAL) is hooked or entangled during fishing operations. Following an incidental take and capture, Federal regulations require that vessel operators record information on dead or injured STALs using a Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Data Form. The information is used by veterinarians to advise vessel operators caring for injured STALs. If the albatross is dead, in addition to filling out the Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Data Form, the vessel operator must return all STAL carcasses to FWS. Each dead specimen must have an identification/information tag attached directly to the carcass and the specimen bag to assist the FWS biologists in follow-up studies. This collection is one of the terms and conditions contained in a biological opinion issued by FWS.

The latest form for Pacific Islands Short-tailed Albatross Recovery Data Form expires 2026-04-30 and can be found here.