Other species have been almost totally destroyed. Colonization of Bermuda by Spain in the 17th century resulted in the near annihilation of the Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow) there. Ships' crews found the birds to be fat and delicious, and they dried and salted those that could not be eaten fresh. Today, only about 20 breeding pairs remain, and are under strict protection by the Bermudan government (Lockley 1973).
The North Pacific albatrosses (Diomedea spp.) were nearly exterminated by Japanese feather hunters near the end of the 18th century. The short-tailed albatross (D. albatrus) was also nearly wiped out at its breeding colonies west of the Hawaiian Islands (Bourne 1972).
Other species that were carelessly exploited for their meat and plumage in the past, but which have since regained their numbers, include the fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) on St. Kilda Island in the North Atlantic; and the North Atlantic, South African, and Australian gannets (Morus bassanus, M. capensis, and M. serrator) (Bourne 1972; Lockley 1973). In some instances entire breeding colonies of a species have been destroyed while others have survived. On the Abrothos Islands in western Australia, for example, large nesting colonies of sooty terns (Sterna fuscata) and common noddies (Anous stolidus) appear to have been wiped out on Rat Island by indiscriminate "egging" for food, whereas similar-sized colonies survive on other islands, where they are now controlled by the Fisheries and Fauna Department (Serventy et al. 1971).
Historically, it has probably been man's unregulated harvest of marine birds that has been the primary cause of their destruction. Generally, the loss of a species because of unregulated harvest is no longer a matter of major concern, because most countries of the world are providing at least some protection for their marine birds. However, other factors such as habitat destruction and contamination of the marine environment by industrial pollutants are posing increasingly serious threats to many.
Social and Economic Indicators
Economic indicators concerning consumptive uses of wildlife, including marine birds, are frequently misunderstood. In a dollar-oriented and over-consumptive society like ours, economic values are usually seen as being in conflict with esthetic values. "Economic use" usually conjures up images of man's overutilization and, hence, long-term depletion of wildlife resources. However, when speaking of economic use, it is important to distinguish between such overuse and sustained-yield management.
Although both types of use have provided economic benefits over the years, overharvest that results in long-term resource depletion is not usually the most or best economic use in the long run; obviously a "harvest" cannot be sustained at a given level when the resource base is constantly being depleted. On the other hand, when certain species of marine birds are used in accordance with principles of sustained yield, they can provide long-term economic values to society in conjunction with the social, esthetic, and intangible values that their preservation insures. Of course, for many species esthetic values far outweigh economic ones derived through commercialization.
Commercial Uses
Muttonbirds
The muttonbird industry of Australia is an excellent example of the commercial use of marine birds on a sustained-yield basis. Fledgling Tasmanian muttonbirds, or slender-billed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris), are commercially harvested each year from their colonies on islands of Bass Strait, mainly in the Flinders Island group.