Roimata Toroa (Tears of the Albatross): A historical review of the albatross in folklore, and a critical examination of the environmental law protections

• Main Author: Pallesen, Ana
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 2008
• Subjects: Giant Petrels
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/13940

The albatross is a southern seabird that has been caught, studied, feared and revered in mythology since before recorded history, centuries before the threat of its extinction gave rise to the international battle to conserve the majestic creature. The Grey-headed Albatross can circle the globe in forty-six days. It follows the major ocean currents, where upwelling of the cooler water provides abundant feeding grounds. It is these lucrative fishing sites which have caused the depletion of the Procellariiformes (albatrosses and giant petrels). Long line fishing fleets exploit the same areas. There have been major global attempts to reduce the drowning of the albatrosses caught on these lines. The purpose of this review is firstly to traverse the folk law of the albatross across several different cultures of the world and through the different ages, and discuss why this bird has come to be nestled in the human psyche. Secondly, it will discuss the difficulties of preserving a species that migrates in and out of a vast number of jurisdictional borders, the protection of which interferes with one of the most lucrative global industries.