Killing an albatross is considered very bad luck in maritime culture. The albatross is a large seabird that is known to follow ships for days or even weeks at a time. They were thought to carry the souls of lost sailors and so killing one would anger the spirits and bring terrible misfortune.
Why is it bad luck to kill an albatross?
The superstition surrounding killing an albatross dates back centuries and originates from sailing culture. Albatrosses are one of the most majestic birds found across the Southern Ocean and sailors grew to respect them as companions on their long voyages. It was thought that albatrosses embodied the souls of dead sailors and killing one would offend those spirits and bring bad luck in the form of deadly storms and shipwrecks.
The superstition was popularized by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” In the poem, a sailor shoots an albatross with a crossbow without any provocation. This senseless act of cruelty unleashes a terrible curse on the ship and crew, resulting in death and misfortune. The sailor must wear the dead albatross around his neck as a reminder of his deed and a symbol of the burden of guilt he must carry.
After the poem was published in 1798, the idea that killing an albatross would bring bad luck became cemented in maritime mythology. Since then, seafarers have avoided harming the birds at all costs to avoid the wrath of both the natural and supernatural world.
Sailor testimonies of misfortune after killing an albatross
There are several first-hand accounts from sailors over the past two centuries that seem to confirm the superstition surrounding the albatross. Though some of the stories may be exaggerated, they show how deeply the sailor’s lore surrounding the birds is ingrained in maritime culture.
One famous testimony comes from the account of a 19th century English sailor named James Clark. In his memoir, Clark describes shooting down an albatross just to pass the time on a long voyage to Antarctica. Afterwards, terrible storms battered the ship for weeks on end. Provisions ran low, the crew suffered from scurvy and some men were swept overboard and drowned. Clark came to blame all their misfortunes on his impulsive decision to kill the albatross.
Similar accounts can found in the memoirs of Captain William Gray who sailed clipper ships from America to China in the 1850s. Gray describes sailors who killed albatrosses for sport then found their ships becalmed in unnatural fogs or blown dangerously off course by howling storms. He strictly banned shooting the birds on his own voyages.
During World War II, some naval officers reported sudden losses and tragic accidents following encounters with albatrosses. Though details are scarce, rumors spread among sailors that crewmen who shot down the birds invited catastrophe upon their ships.
The environmental impact of killing albatrosses
Today, killing an albatross has serious environmental consequences beyond just bad luck. Many albatross species are threatened with extinction from overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Intentionally killing the birds exacerbates these environmental threats.
Albatrosses are top ocean predators that travel vast distances across the sea in search of food. They help regulate fish and squid populations that commercial fisheries rely on. Removing albatrosses from the ecosystem could have negative cascading effects on other important marine species.
For example, albatrosses prey on fish like sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. If albatross populations decline, those fish populations may explode out of control. That disrupts the natural balance of the ocean environment. Overfishing those species could then threaten their long-term sustainability.
Many albatross breeding colonies are extremely fragile as well. Albatrosses return to the exact same nesting sites year after year. They are not adaptable to change. Disturbing those breeding colonies by killing adults could preventyoung albatrosses from learning how to migrate properly or find food. If a colony collapses, that island ecosystem may never recover.
Nineteen of the 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction. Intentionally killing the birds only accelerates those declines. Therefore, beyond being bad luck, killing an albatross today is also extremely destructive environmentally.
Modern consequences for killing an albatross
Intentionally killing an albatross today is illegal in most countries under migratory bird laws or acts that define them as protected species. People who harm or kill albatrosses face steep fines and other legal consequences.
Legal protections
Most albatross species are protected internationally under the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). This is a multilateral environmental agreement that specifically establishes legal protections for albatrosses and petrels around the world. Countries that are signatories to the agreement are required to pass domestic legislation that protects the birds from harm or disturbance.
In the United States, albatross species are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. This act makes it illegal to pursue, hunt, kill, capture, possess, buy, sell, purchase, or barter any albatross, alive or dead, their nests, eggs, or feathers. Each violation can result in fines up to $15,000 and imprisonment up to six months.
Other countries like Australia, South Africa, Argentina, and New Zealand also have domestic laws protecting albatrosses within their territorial waters. The European Union grants protected status to all albatrosses under the EU Birds Directive which covers the waters around British and French overseas territories.
Enforcement examples
There are several real world cases that demonstrate how killing an albatross results in legal punishment today:
- In 2001, a Taiwanese fisher was fined $13,500 for killing a single Laysan albatross.
- A South African fisherman was sentenced to 1 year in prison in 2007 for catching albatrosses on illegal longline fishing hooks.
- A Japanese trawling vessel was fined $125,000 in 2014 when they were caught killing over 30 albatrosses.
- An Ecuadorian vessel caught illegally fishing in the Galapagos Islands received $6.1 million in fines in part for killing waved albatrosses.
Authorities are able to enforce these protections in ports or through aerial surveillance of fishing boats. Advances in satellite monitoring technology have also helped identify vessels that cross into marine protected areas inhabited by albatrosses.
Conclusion
Killing an albatross is still considered terrible luck among modern seafarers. But it also has dire environmental and legal consequences today. Centuries-old sailor superstitions about albatrosses cursing ships and crews have been reinforced by real-world evidence of population declines and ecosystem disruptions caused by killing the birds. Strong legal protections now aim to deter people from harming albatrosses. However, enforcement remains challenging on the high seas. Ultimately, the only way to avoid the curse of the albatross is to respect these majestic seabirds and the critical role they play across the world’s oceans.
