Analysis of stomach contents from the black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris, on the Coast of Rio Grande do Sul,Southern Brazil

The black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris, travels along the southern coast of Brazil during migration. Their numbers appear to have decreased in recent years. From July 1997 to 1998, we carried out monthly surveys on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, to count albatrosses in the area and identify ingested items. We found 85 dead specimens of T. melanophris, from which 35 stomachs were collected and the contents analyzed. Nearly 6% of the stomachs contained fish, 32% contained cephalopods and 9% contained crustaceans. About 69% of the stomachs contained nematodes and nematomorphs. The highest abundance values found per stomach was 182 nematode individuals and 223 nematomorph individuals. Synthetic materials were present in 29% of the stomachs analyzed, comprising thermoplastic, nylon, rubber and metal wire.