Date:  22 December 2006

Representatives from New Zealand’s Southern Seabird Solutions Trust joined fishermen from South American countries last week to hear about the latest practices to prevent accidental deaths of seabirds. The South American Fishers’ Forum was held in Brazil and brought together 65 participants from seven different South American countries, along with representatives from New Zealand, Australia and the US. Southern Seabird Solutions is an alliance of New Zealand and international interest groups working together to solve the incidental capture of seabirds during longline and trawl fishing.

“This was the first regional forum to be held in South America,” says Janice Molloy, Convenor, Southern Seabird Solutions. “It was a very action-oriented forum, with people defining the known issues within their own countries on the first day and working to find solutions on the following days.”

Hosted by Projeto Albatroz, Southern Seabird Solutions provided support in organising the event and helped secure funding. The forum was sponsored by Care for the Wild International with additional support coming from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the US Embassy.

“What became apparent over the three days of the forum is that some South American countries are moving quickly to address this issue. Particularly in the industrial fleets there’s quite a lot of knowledge about seabird bycatch and people are taking steps to fix the problem,” says Richard Wells, fisheries expert and advocate, who represented Southern Seabird Solutions at the event. “However, little is known about the bycatch issues being faced in the South American ‘artisanal’ fleets.”

Artisanal fleets are made up of small, independent boats and may be based on near subsistence or part-time fishing. Getting a handle on what’s occurring within these fleets may be important as the level and type of interaction in these numerous fleets is poorly understood.

A number of the seabird species that feed in South American waters, including southern royal albatrosses, actually breed in New Zealand, so Southern Seabird Solutions representatives were keen to learn ways that South American countries, New Zealand and other Southern hemisphere countries could work together to reduce the number of birds killed in various fisheries.
Richard adds, “One of the most powerful statements made at the conference came from a longline captain (or Patron) from Brazil, who, when asked about how he decided whether or not to use a tori [bird scaring] line as a way to reduce seabird bycatch, replied, ‘When I wake up in the morning I don’t decide whether or not I’m going to eat. I always eat and when I’m fishing I always use the tori line’. That’s the point all of us need to get to in trying to reduce seabird bycatch.”

Janice says, “Plans are already being made that a second South American forum will be held in 2008 with people presenting progress reports at that time. There were a lot of good ideas that came out of the three-day forum and the fishermen there were anxious to return to their fleets and turn those ideas into action.”

–release ends–

Background notes

Projeto Albatroz - Established in 1991, Projeto Albatroz collects information on seabirds accidentally captured by the Brazilian domestic longline fleet, and works to find solutions to reduce the mortality, which is estimated at 10,000 birds each year.

Care for the Wild International (CWI) is an animal welfare and conservation charity that funds practical projects around the world. The organisation works to make areas safe from poachers, rehabilitate sick or injured animals and provide sanctuary for animals that cannot return to the wild. CWI also acts as a global voice for wildlife through research, education and advocacy and exposes animal cruelty and wildlife crime.

Southern Seabird Solutions was established to promote fishing practices that avoid seabird deaths in Southern hemisphere fisheries. It is an alliance of New Zealand and international interest groups working together to solve the incidental capture of seabirds during longline and trawl fishing.
The organisation includes representatives from government departments, fishing industry, environmental groups, eco-tourism operators, fisheries trainers, indigenous fisheries interests and others.

A core premise of Southern Seabird Solutions is that fishermen hold the key to finding solutions to stopping seabird mortalities. Southern Seabird Solutions works with fishermen to pass on their knowledge, technology and skills to promote good practices in the longline and trawl fisheries.

The organisation’s scope extends beyond New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone because seabirds that breed in New Zealand territory are global travellers, roaming the oceans as far afield as southern Africa, Australia, Japan, and North and South America.

The Trust is supported financially by government through the Department of Conservation and the fishing industry through the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council and WWF-New Zealand.

Funding for the Trust’s projects comes from a variety of sources both within and outside New Zealand, and includes financial contributions from supporters, grants, sponsorship and services in kind.