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[[Image:ST_Albatross.jpg|thumb|300px]]The '''Short-tailed Albatross''' was once the most numerous of the three [[North Pacific]] albatrosses. Up until the late nineteenth century there may have been as many as 5 million birds and more than a dozen breeding colonies, mostly on islands around [[Japan]]. By the early twentieth century there were only a handful of Short-tailed Albatrosses left in the world.

The '''Short-tailed Albatross''', "once the most numerous of the three [[North Pacific]] albatrosses ... remains an endangered species today". <ref>http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/seabird_foragefish/seabirds/flash_cards/short_tailed_albatross.html</ref>

 

The sudden decline in population was caused by a mid-nineteenth century fashion craze in Europe and North America that involved wearing feathers in women’s hats. The Japanese knew about islands off of their coast where millions of seabirds came to nest each year. It was easy to capture and kill the birds because they had no natural fear of humans. Thousands were slaughtered for their feathers.

 

The Short-tailed Albatross remains an endangered species today. Long-line fishing in the North Pacific kills many albatross each year. Mostly the more plentiful [[Laysan Albatross]]. Occasionally short-tailed’s are caught accidentally. With an adult population of just a few hundred birds, every bird is precious. Biologists have been working with long-line fisherman to develop ways to reduce the risk of catching albatross.<ref>http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/seabird_foragefish/seabirds/flash_cards/short_tailed_albatross.html</ref>

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