ABSTRACT 
The United States Naval Air Station at Midway Atoll in the 
1957-58 season experienced collisions between albatrosses (Laysan 
albatross, Diomedea immutabilis, and black-footed albatross, Diomedea 
and propeller-driven aircraft at the rate of 40 percent of 
all daylight landings and takeoffs during the November peak and at an 
average rate of 17 percent. Damage to aircraft was at the rate of 7 
percent of all strikes or 1 percent of all daylight landings and 
takeoffs. 
Destruction of albatrosses or their eggs increases the hazard 
to aircraft initially by making more birds unemployed, and would take 
many years to achieve total relief because of the large number of non~ 
nesting birds at sea at all times, and the long period required for 
young to reach breeding age, or even to come ashore for the first time. 
leveling and clearing the land to eliminate updrafts on 
which birds are prone to soar is the only method known so far of 
obtaining any measure of relief immediately. It is believed this 
procedure might reduce the number of albatross strikes by 80 percent. 
At least 90 percent of the world population of both species 
of albatross uses only four atolls: Midway, Pearl and Hermes, lisianski, 
and Laysan. Midway, utilized by 35 percent of the nesting Laysan 
albatrosses and 16 percent of the nesting black-footed albatrosses, is 
second in importance only to Laysan as a production area, Thus, Midway 
comprises a very substantial portion of the remaining breeding ground 
of the world population of these species and from the standpoint of 
their perpetuation its loss as a breeding area would be serious. 
Elimination of albatrosses from Midway is only to be considered if 
essential to national defense, 
_ The sooty tern, Sterna fuscata, population at Midway Atoll 
is about 150,000 birds on each island. The species is abundant and 
widespread in all tropical oceanic areas, The Midway populations are 
an insignificant part of the whole. 
Although sooty terns are frequently struck by aircraft, no 
damage was reported during 1957 and 1958 seasons. With the advent of 
jet aircraft sooty terns would be a distinct hazard. 
It was found that sooty terns could be kept from nesting and 
eventually caused to abandon Sand Island for the remainder of the 
season by a persistent program of shooting and harassing the birds on 
the nesting area. If elimination of sooty terns is necessary for the 
safety of jet aircraft at Midway it is recommended that killing and 
harassment be continued on Sand Island, on an annual basis, for as 
many years as necessary to keep the birds from nesting there, 
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