---
title: "An albatross is seen at sea trailing a balloon string"
---

# An albatross is seen at sea trailing a balloon string

While nearly 100 km out to sea on a voyage aboard the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ([CSIRO)](https://www.csiro.au/) RV *Investigator*on a trip to explore underwater mountains off Tasmania's coast, scientists observed an albatross that had apparently swallowed a balloon.

 Marine biologist Alice Forrest aboard said "we thought it had a squid in its mouth and upon closer observation we realised that what we thought was a squid with tentacles was a rubber balloon with a string trailing from its mouth”.  On the same day the scientists aboard saw a group of albatrosses investigating a floating plastic drinks bottle: “one of the birds was picking the plastic bottle up and throwing it around".

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/S/Shy/Shy-Albatross.balloonstring.CSIRO.jpg)

 A Shy-type Albatross *T. cauta* trails a balloon string

 ![](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/S/Shy/Shy-Albatrosses-plastic-bottle.jpg)

 Two Shy-type Albatrosses approach a plastic drinks bottle at sea

 Photographs from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

 Read more [here](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-29/sea-birds-seen-eating-balloon-and-plastic-bottle/10562198?fbclid=IwAR2Oj4RviPNxwjvFTXt5_4-phCpdpceMliPKVQcNAxpC5pcZp3b-JPbpoS8).

 *ACAP Latest News* has previously posted on ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels swallowing or becoming entangled by balloons, including Black-footed Albatross *Phoebastria nigripes*, Black-browed Albatross *Thalassarche melanophris*, Grey-headed Albatross *T. chrysostoma*, Light-mantled Albatross *Phoebetria fusca*, Southern Giant Petrel *Macronectes giganteus* and Northern Giant Petrel *M. halli* ([click here](https://www.acap.aq/en/search14?q=balloon)).

 Further, 17 of the 31 ACAP-listed species have been reported in a scientific study as becoming entangled in plastic litter, including 12 albatross species, both giant petrels *Macronectes* and two *Procellaria* petrels ([click here](https://www.acap.aq/en/14-news/latest-news/3077-all-tied-up-more-than-a-third-of-seabird-species-have-been-entangled-by-plastics?highlight=WyJiYWxsb29uIl0=)).

 [Click here](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-19/balloons-found-out-to-sea-threatening-marine-life/10265058) for an account of balloons being seen previously from the RV *Investigator* 250 km out to sea.

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 December 2018*