Albatross and petrel conservation

Albatrosses are amongst the most threatened groups of birds on the planet. Since the 1990s, the impact of longlining on albatrosses has become a global conservation priority. The Albatross Task Force (ATF) was established by BirdLife International to work with fishermen and national governments to find innovative solutions to seabird 'bycatch'. BirdLife South Africa hosted the first ATF team – there are now another 6 in other countries. By the end of 2008 it was clear that the work was worth it – the ATF had notched up a fantastic 85% reduction in seabird bycatch!

Albatross and petrel conservation

Albatrosses are amongst the most threatened groups of birds on the planet. Since the 1990s, the impact of longlining on albatrosses has become a global conservation priority. The Albatross Task Force (ATF) was established by BirdLife International to work with fishermen and national governments to find innovative solutions to seabird 'bycatch'. BirdLife South Africa hosted the first ATF team – there are now another 6 in other countries. By the end of 2008 it was clear that the work was worth it – the ATF had notched up a fantastic 85% reduction in seabird bycatch!

BirdLife South Africa successfully lobbied to have tori lines (bird-scaring lines) declared mandatory in the South African hake (Merluccius spp.) trawl fishery (a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fishery). Despite some teething problems, industry realised that it was not in their best interests to do nothing about unnecessary seabird deaths and, before long, compliance with the measure was high. This resulted in an immediate and significant decrease in seabird deaths associated with trawl warp interactions.

The tuna and swordfish longline fishery in South Africa is divided into two groups. Local permit holders use heavy gear and target mostly swordfish. A foreign-flagged fleet operating in joint ventures uses much lighter gear and targets tunas. It is the latter group that was identified as having a significant seabird bycatch problem. There were some very good permit conditions in place for this fishery for several years, but they had very little impact on reducing seabird bycatch – probably due to a lack of legal, agreed-upon actions that could be taken against vessels that failed to comply with the permit conditions. Then, in 2007, the ATF was involved in implementing new permit conditions, in a desperate attempt to ensure the fishery complied with the preventative measures in the existing permit conditions. A seabird bycatch 'cap' was placed on each vessel, and fishing would end for that vessel for the year, once that cap was reached. The upshot was that bycatch of albatrosses in the foreign-flagged fleet decreased by an estimated 85% in 2008 compared to 2007.