Debris and Injured Birds in Lagoon at Midway Atoll

Floating island of debris and injured birds in lagoon at Midway Atoll after a tsunami generated by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan struck the refuge at 11:36 PM on Thursday, March 10th and continued for the next few hours. On March 15, FWS released an official announcement stating that surveys of the three islands reveal that more than 110,000 albatross chicks – about 22% of this year’s albatross production – were lost as a result of the tsunami and two severe winter storms that hit in January and February. At least 2,000 adults also died. Image taken from USFWS Pacific Region Flickr page.