Arctic Science Journeys
Radio Script
1997

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Bird Man for the Albatross
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STORY: It's easy to see why Hiroshi Hasegawa loves the short-tailed albatross. It is one of the most graceful birds ever to take wing. Pure white with a golden streak on its head and a bright pink beak, the adult albatross also is one the world's most beautiful birds.

Unfortunately, that beauty has made the short-tailed albatross among the world's rarest birds. Where once millions ranged from Japan to Alaska, feather hunters made the bird all but extinct by 1949. But then in 1951, ten albatross were discovered on Toroshima Island, an active volcano south of Tokyo, Japan. The bird was quickly declared a Japanese national monument, but little was done to help the species recover. As a graduate student at Toho University in the 1970s, Hiroshi Hasegawa set out to save the bird from extinction.

HASEGAWA: "I've liked birds very much since childhood. And when I was a graduate student we had two endangered species in Japan. One was the Japanese crested ibis, and the other was the short-tailed albatross. The Japanese crested ibis was first protected and a recovery program was started at that time, but none studied the short-tailed albatross. So I started the short-tailed albatross conservation study."

Hiroshi Hasegawa has devoted most of his adult life to helping the seabird survive. From the start, the odds were stacked against him--and the albatross. The bird's only nesting site was on the side of an active volcano. Eggs laid on the steep, barren ground often rolled into the sea. His first step was to plant native grasses on the slope. There, the birds could build nests to keep eggs from tumbling into the ocean. Egg survival from went from just 30 percent to over 60 percent in one year. But his success was short-lived.

HASEGAWA: "I was very happy with this success, but in 1987 a landslide took place on the upper slope of the colony. Mud flows buried the chicks and washed away eggs."

Hasegawa tried again. With government help, the hillside was terraced to slow erosion. Barriers were erected to divert mud flows away from the nests, and native grasses were replanted. Soon, albatross numbers were again on the rise. But the volcano's steep slopes were not the ideal place for any permanent albatross colony. If the albatross was to survive, a new colony had to be started. Hasegawa hatched a plan to lure albatross to a new nesting site on the other side of the island, where slopes were less steep and vegetation abundant. Dozens of life-size hand-painted decoys were set up that depict albatross in various stages of courtship. To add even more realism to the site, courtship and mating sounds were broadcast on loudspeakers across the island.

The ruse worked. Within hours, several bachelor male albatross soared overhead. Several young albatross even performed mating dances in hopes of attracting a mate. Soon, mating pairs themselves arrived and established nests.

Hiroshi Hasegawa's 20-year effort is paying off. Last year, more than 100 new chicks were counted in the two nesting sites. Today, nearly a thousand albatross soar the skies over the North Pacific Ocean.

HASEGAWA: "It is my dream to save the short-tailed albatross on the earth. I think the short-tailed albatross is on the road to recovery."

On the road, yes, but not yet out of danger. The species remains threatened by commercial fishing fleets, which catch them accidentally when the birds dive onto their baited hooks. Discarded plastic, which birds mistake for food, also take an unknown toll. But the most serious threat could come from the volcanic island the birds call home. The last eruption was in 1939, but scientists say another eruption could occur at any time.

OUTRO:For Arctic Science Journeys Radio, this is Robert Hannon reporting from Fairbanks, Alaska.