Saving our Southern Sea Birds |

Forest and Bird, Issue 307, 1 February 2003, Page 20

Saving our

Southern Sea Birds |

and

GORDON ELL

MIKE SZABO

JANICE MOLLOY

GRAEME TAYLOR

reports on the alarming threats to the albatrosses and petrels of the Southern Ocean.

irdLife International puts the likely B loss of ocean birds from long-line fishing at 300,000 this year. The great albatrosses and petrels of the world simply cannot survive the impact of uncontrolled fisheries and several species are already regarded as threatened and endangered. The birds at risk include several peculiar to the islands of New Zealand — birds which breed on our distant island groups, but migrate on the great air currents around the Southern Ocean. Thus birds protected in New Zealand waters can often die off Africa or South America. These birds die unnecessarily on fishing lines and on trawl ropes — in New Zealand waters, in the fisheries of other countries, and on the high seas. A world-wide campaign has now been launched to ‘Save the Albatross, a campaign in which Forest and Bird has a role as the local associate of BirdLife International, which represents the leading bird conservation groups in 100 countries. The idea of global action also has the support of the New Zealand Government, one of the first parties to sign a United Nations agreement to clean up the fishing industry and help save the birds. And they can be helped, according to the experts, if the ‘pirates’ can be banished and the fishing industry in general makes some

technical changes to the way it works. As the home of 13 different kinds of albatrosses, breeding on various southern island groups, New Zealand has a major concern with the albatross crisis. Included are populations of three of the world’s most-endangered albatrosses, and four of the vulnerable petrel species which also die in the southern fisheries. Long-line fishing has been identified as the single greatest threat to seabirds, globally. Seabirds scavenge behind fishing vessels — they get caught as they try to eat bait from the hooks, and are dragged

underwater to drown. A long-line may be up to 130 kilometres long, and an estimated one billion hooks are set annually by the world’s long-line fleets. A third are set by vessels which fish illegally. Illegal long-lining in the Southern Ocean accounts for the heaviest seabird toll. The international commission which oversees the management of Antarctica’s marine resources estimates that between 276,000 and 438,000 seabirds — including tens of thousands of albatrosses — were killed by ‘pirate’ fishing vessels from 1996-2001. These vessels often operate under flags of convenience and fish for Patagonian toothfish (known as ‘white gold’ because of its high value). Their kill contrasts starkly with vessels that fish legally in Antarctic waters. These legal vessels collectively reduced their total seabird capture to less than 30 seabirds in 2002. According to data from BirdLife International, the number of albatrosses threatened with extinction increased from one-third to two-thirds of all albatross species between 1994 and 2000. Besides albatross, some eight species of petrel are also seriously at risk from longlining. For example, 500-1000 critically endangered spectacled petrels are thought to die annually on tuna long-lines set off the Brazilian coast. With the total world population of this petrel put at only 10,000 these losses are totally unsustainable and

The facts in this article are compiled from reports furnished by |

of BirdLife International and

BARRY WEEBER of Forest and Bird.

conservation officers with the

Department of Conservation, provided facts about the birds on pages 22-23.

threaten the spectacled petrel with extinction. Around 50 million long-line hooks are set in New Zealand’s waters annually. Measures to limit the by-catch of albatrosses and

petrels have already been initiated on some New Zealand fishing vessels but many don’t bother. The measures are apparently simple: including fishing by night, because the birds mainly feed and scavenge by day; using bird-scaring lines with plastic streamers that flap vigorously behind the vessel deterring the birds from diving; and weighting lines so they sink rapidly out of reach of birds. Other mitigation measures include fishing at seasons when birds are migrating elsewhere. A system of official on-board ‘observers’ can ensure fish are caught using bird-friendly techniques. Five Japanese tuna vessels, fishing under charter to New Zealand interests, have been required to use a suite of these techniques for some considerable time,

reducing their by-catch of birds from more than 4000 in 1990, to 282 in 1997 to "just 15 birds in 2001. These conservation measures are not required of other New Zealand longline vessels, however.

While some individual skippers in the New Zealand fleets are treating seabird capture as a serious problem, many aren't. ‘New Zealand tuna boats catch about one seabird for every 1200 hooks "observed"? according to Barry Weeber, fisheries researcher at Forest and Bird. "They set about seven million hooks a season. And their target — the southern bluefin tuna — is itself listed as a "critically endangered" fish on the IUCN Red List? The New Zealand fishing industry is at present arguing it should be allowed to police itself to effect improvements. Other parties, sceptical of self-regulation, are calling for a set of rules. While vessels fishing in Antarctic waters carry scientific observers, the same rules don’t apply in New Zealand waters where conservationists believe some 10,000 albatrosses and petrels are caught annually. According to Forest and Bird about 1000 birds are caught by trawlers in the hoki and squid fisheries. ‘Forest and Bird is calling on the Government to require all long-line vessels to adopt international best practice, says Barry Weeber. New Zealand and Australia were the first two countries to ratify a recent international treaty to protect seabirds (the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels under the Convention on Migratory Species, or Bonn

Convention). To give effect to it, the Department of Conservation has appointed an officer to develop projects to promote the adoption of seabird-safe fishing practices both in New Zealand, and in conjunction with other southernhemisphere countries. It must also prepare a national plan of action to protect seabirds. As a first step the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries held a two-day workshop at Nelson last year to bring together conservation and industry representatives. Participants named themselves Southern Seabird Solutions and proposed skipper exchanges between countries, using role model skippers to lift performance, and exchanging ideas on how to fish without catching birds. ‘Given the importance of the albatross issue for New Zealand, we should lead the world — but both industry and Government have been slow to put in the measures necessary to control bird bycatch, according to Forest and Bird’s conservation manager, Eric Pyle. "Weak controls on fishing in New Zealand waters means New Zealand can be easily embarrassed internationally. We are certainly not leading by example. Further detail is available on the Forest and Bird website: www.forestandbird.org.nz and BirdLife International website: www. birdlife.net/seabirds