Seventeen out of twenty-two albatross species are threatened with extinction with the main threat coming from mortality in fisheries…[ie drowning on hooks on 'longlines' that can stretch for 50km behind the boat]
“FishUpdate, 26 September 2011
Research being presented at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity
in Aberdeen tomorrow (27 September 2011) will report a global estimate
of the impact of longline fisheries on seabirds and reveals that,
despite efforts to reduce seabird deaths, upwards of 300,000 birds are
still being killed every year.
The study, recently published in the journal Endangered Species
Research, was carried out by scientists from the RSPB and BirdLife
International and is a powerful reminder of how far we still need to go
to ensure ecologically responsible fishing.
Since the 1980s, scientists have linked global declines of albatrosses
and other seabirds with ‘incidental catch’ in longline fisheries. Adult
and juvenile birds become snared on hooks attached to the lines, which
can be over a hundred kilometres long, and are dragged underwater to a
premature death.
Presenting the research is Dr Orea Anderson, policy officer for the
Global Seabird Programme and lead author of this study: “It is little
wonder that so many of the affected seabird species are threatened with
extinction – their slow rate of reproduction is simply incapable of
compensating for losses on the scale this study has demonstrated.
“A major factor determining this huge estimate is the emergence of
fleets, with previously unaccounted for bycatch problems, adding to the
global tally. While some fisheries have reduced their impacts on
seabirds, we are only just becoming aware of problems in others -
hampered by a lack of data.”
The Spanish longline fleet on the Gran Sol grounds off SW Ireland is one
such fleet, with preliminary data suggesting it may be responsible for
killing large numbers of seabirds, potentially upwards of 50,000
annually, mostly shearwaters and fulmars. The Japanese tuna fleet came
second in scale – over 20,000 killed each year, but with the largest
impact on albatrosses.
Despite an exhaustive review, substantial data gaps remain (e.g.
Nordic[*], Asian distant water, and Mediterranean fleets) and until
these are filled it is impossible to gauge the true impact of global
longline activities on seabirds. However, the continued declining trends
in many seabirds remain a cause for grave concern. Seventeen out of 22
albatross species are threatened with extinction[†] with the main threat
coming from mortality in fisheries.
Some fisheries have enforced strict regulations, resulting in
substantial bycatch reductions in recent years. Seabird deaths around
South Georgia in the CCAMLR[‡] zone of the Southern Ocean have declined
by 99% since regulations were enforced. South Africa achieved a drop of
85% bycatch in its foreign-licensed fleet in 2008, when a cap was placed
on the number of seabird deaths permitted. More recently, in April 2011,
Brazil passed a law requiring the use of stringent seabird bycatch
measures in their domestic tuna longline fleets.
But the problem is so global in scale that every fishing nation has a
role to play in alleviating this needless waste of marine life.
RSPB and BirdLife International’s Global Seabird Programme call on
regional fisheries management organisations and industry to protect
seabirds through the use of simple, cost-effective mitigation measures
that have been proven to reduce the threat of bycatch. They are also
working to be part of the solution: the Albatross Task Force, founded by
the RSPB and BirdLife International, works directly with fishermen and
fishery managers in seven countries (bycatch hotspots) worldwide to
reduce the number of seabirds being killed.
Dr. Cleo Small, senior policy officer for the Global Seabird Programme
and co-author of the review, commented: “Using simple bird-scaring lines
and weighting of hooks as they enter the water could dramatically reduce
the number of seabirds being killed.
“With the UK’s Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic holding a third of the world’s breeding albatrosses, the UK has a major responsibility to ensure seabird-friendly fisheries. As for the EU, the findings of this review places a heavy onus on the forthcoming EU Plan of Action for Seabirds to deliver a robust set of remedial measures capable of reducing the impact of longline and other fisheries on seabird populations in EU waters and beyond.”
Full journal article can be found at:
http://www.int-res.com/articles/esr_oa/n014p091.pdf
Save the Albatross campaign webpage: http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/albatross/”
