Date:  07 October 2005

The Embassy of Perú in New Zealand hosted a signing ceremony today for a new co-operation agreement between New Zealand’s Southern Seabird Solutions and the Instituto del Mar del Perú, IMARPE.

IMARPE is the Peruvian Institute of Fisheries Research, which manages scientific research into living marine and inland water resources, ecological factors, oceanography and limnology, and aquatic environment quality in Peruvian waters. Its main activity is to lay the scientific groundwork for fishery resource management.

The agreement between the two organisations is for ongoing collaboration in promoting the adoption of fishing practices that avoid the mortality of seabirds (also known as bycatch mitigation). The Executive Economist of IMARPE, Godofredo Cañote, a very prominent person in both the Peruvian government and the fishing industry, signed on behalf of IMARPE. 

“This [agreement] is a demonstration of our interest in protecting New Zealand birds within Peruvian waters,” he said. Mr Cañote described it as the first step for cooperation between IMARPE and New Zealand Southern Seabird Solutions."

Janice Molloy, signed the agreement in her role as convenor of Southern Seabird Solutions. “These birds are the responsibility of both countries. We know from satellite tracking that the Chatham Islands Albatross only breed on the Chatham Islands, but feed all over the west coast of South America, spending most of their lives there,” Ms Molloy said.

The first Southern Seabird Solutions/Perú co-joint project was announced, which will be a fishers exchange programme between the two countries. This will enable the exchange of information and knowledge sharing between fishers in Perú, Chile and New Zealand on bycatch mitigation techniques. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs are the first sponsor to support of this project. Further sponsors will be sought to progress this initiative as quickly as possible, Ms Molloy said.

Southern Seabird Solutions is committed to facilitating ongoing collaboration between New Zealand and other southern hemisphere countries to mitigate bycatch and undertake projects that facilitate the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills between fishers.