Shy and wandering, the world's largest flying bird, the Albatross, is endangered. Worldwide, there are currently 150 breeding populations of albatross. Eighteen of them are in Australia. Quite a number of albatrosses fall victim to longline fishing in Australia's southern oceans, when they become hooked on baits attached to the longlines and get drowned. Considering this, Australia is planning to save three threatened species of albatross. Under a new national register of critical habitat, four albatross-breeding sites around Australia's southern island state of Tasmania would be listed to protect these birds.The move means anyone who damages the bird's habitat on the island's breeding sites would face a fine of us $62,000 and/or two years jail. "If these sites are lost, it is unlikely that the species would survive because albatrosses tend to return to the same breeding sites," said Australian environment minister David Kemp.
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