S A V I N G S E A S F O R S E A B I R D S

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Marvin Caldwell
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1 S A V I N G S E A S F O R S E A B I R D S

2 Many seabird populations are rapidly declining and are threatened with extinction. They face a wide range of threats, both on land and at sea, the most widespread of which is the threat of being killed in longline fisheries. Seabirds often travel vast distances across the oceans, including the high seas, so their protection cannot be tackled effectively by national measures alone. In 1997, BirdLife International established the Global Seabird Programme to support BirdLife Partners to: Promote the collaborative international action that is vital to arrest seabird declines Advocate the conservation of seabirds at national, regional and global levels Work directly with fishermen and other stakeholders to reduce seabird bycatch and other threats to seabird populations. Red List index Data from the IUCN Red List indicate that seabirds are becoming threatened at a rate faster than other major groups of birds Source: State of the World s Birds BirdLife International 2004 Main: Grey-headed Albatross, Graham Robertson, Australian Antarctic Division Spectacled Petrel, Peter Ryan

Number of breeding pairs 1,600 Main: Wandering Albatross corpse on a longline, Brazil, Guy Marcovaldi Left: Great Shearwaters caught by a hake trawler, Argentina, Diego Gonzalez Zevallos Centre: John

3 Number of breeding pairs 1,600 Main: Wandering Albatross corpse on a longline, Brazil, Guy Marcovaldi Left: Great Shearwaters caught by a hake trawler, Argentina, Diego Gonzalez Zevallos Centre: John and Marie-Christine Ridgway present the Save the Albatross Campaign petition to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, DeBellis Right: Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 1,400 Declining Wandering Albatross 1,200 1,000 populations in South Georgia Source: British Antarctic Survey Seabird bycatch occurs in longline fisheries around the world, when birds get caught on the baited hooks, dragged underwater and drowned. Each year, more than a billion hooks are set by the world s longline fleets, killing at least 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses. Nineteen of 21 species of albatross are now classified by IUCN as being under threat of extinction. There is also increasing evidence that significant numbers of seabirds are being killed in trawling and gill-net fisheries. In 2000, the Global Seabird Programme launched the Save the Albatross Campaign, which is raising international awareness and funds to support the work of BirdLife Partner organisations around the world to implement a wide range of practical initiatives to reduce seabird bycatch.

Main: Observer with Southern Giantpetrel corpse, BirdLife South Africa Left: Adding line weights, Ben Sullivan Centre: Tori lines on a trawler, Tim Reid Right: Fishing at night, Jim Enticott Simple

4 Main: Observer with Southern Giantpetrel corpse, BirdLife South Africa Left: Adding line weights, Ben Sullivan Centre: Tori lines on a trawler, Tim Reid Right: Fishing at night, Jim Enticott Simple and inexpensive mitigation measures can be highly successful in reducing seabird bycatch, especially when used in combination. Measures that have proven to be effective include: Bird scaring ( Tori ) lines which keep birds away from hooks and trawl cables Line weighting to make hooks sink more quickly Controlling offal discharge during fishing Fishing at night when many seabirds are less active Dyeing baits to make them less visible to seabirds. Work by BirdLife Global Seabird Programme Partners includes placement of observers on board vessels, running workshops with fishermen and fisheries management bodies, and research to identify mitigation measures that best suit each fishery.

Partners in New Zealand, Spain and Portugal are leading the way on identification of marine IBAs In 2004, BirdLife International published Tracking Ocean Wanderers.

5 Partners in New Zealand, Spain and Portugal are leading the way on identification of marine IBAs In 2004, BirdLife International published Tracking Ocean Wanderers. The report was the result of a unique collaboration between scientists worldwide, analysing the distribution of albatrosses and petrels across the world s oceans. The results highlight areas where longline fleets are putting albatrosses at most risk, and are being used to target conservation efforts more effectively. The Important Bird Areas (IBAs) Programme of BirdLife International seeks to identify and conserve sites that are critical for the long-term viability of bird populations. The Global Seabird Programme is taking the lead on identifying marine IBAs. Marine IBAs will make a vital contribution to current global initiatives to gain greater protection and sustainable management of the oceans, including valuable input to the identification of Marine Protected Areas. Main: Northern Royal Albatross, New Zealand, Hadoram Shirihai, Tubenoses of the World, A & C Black Right: Cory s Shearwaters, Fabio Olmos

The success of the Global Seabird Programme depends on effective advocacy at a range of scales: GRASS-ROOTS Working directly with the public and local communities, including fishermen onshore and at

6 The success of the Global Seabird Programme depends on effective advocacy at a range of scales: GRASS-ROOTS Working directly with the public and local communities, including fishermen onshore and at sea, to raise awareness of seabird bycatch NATIONAL Advocating the adoption and implementation of international agreements (such as the Food and Agriculture Organization s National Plans of Action to reduce seabird mortality and pirate fishing, and the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, ACAP) REGIONAL Advocacy with Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, which have a critical role in monitoring and reducing bycatch in high seas fisheries INTERNATIONAL Influencing the development and content of international agreements, which establish the legal obligations for countries to protect seabirds, both on land and in their fisheries. Main: Waved Albatross, Galapagos, Simon Stirrup Left: Black-browed Albatross colony, Beauchêne Island, Falkland Islands/Malvinas, Nic Huin, Falklands Conservation Centre: A pirate fishing vessel, Southern Ocean, Jim Enticott Right: Short-tailed Albatross, Rob Shallenberger/USFWS

7 The wind sails the open sea steered by the albatross that glides, falls, dances, climbs, hangs motionless in the fading light... the statue of the wind Pablo Neruda Main: Wandering Albatross, Hadoram Shirihai, Tubenoses of the World, A & C Black Left and right: Recently identified predation of albatross chicks on Gough Island by the introduced house mouse. Ross Wanless, University of Cape Town Centre: Consumer guide produced by BirdLife International s New Zealand Partner, Forest and Bird BirdLife Partners are also working to protect seabirds through: CONSUMER CHOICE BirdLife Partners aim to harness consumer power by promoting fish caught in seabird friendly and ecologically sustainable fisheries. ELIMINATING THREATS FROM INTRODUCED SPECIES Introduced species, particularly mammalian predators, seriously threaten many seabird populations. BirdLife Partners have extensive experience in eradicating such predators from seabird breeding colonies. HOW YOU CAN HELP SEABIRDS Contact the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme (see overleaf) Join your national BirdLife Partner Make a donation to support the Programme via

BirdLife International is a global partnership of organisations working in over 100 countries worldwide, to improve the quality of life for birds, for other wildlife, and for people.

8 BirdLife International is a global partnership of organisations working in over 100 countries worldwide, to improve the quality of life for birds, for other wildlife, and for people. Front cover Salvin s Albatross and silhouette, Brent Eco-Vista: Photography & Research Back cover Top: Wandering Albatross, Norman Cobley Bottom: Amsterdam Albatross courting, Amsterdam Island, Hadoram Shirihai, Tubenoses of the World, A & C Black BirdLife Partnership contacts: BirdLife Global Seabird Programme Coordinator: Ben Sullivan, The RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK. ben.sullivan@rspb.org.uk Asia: BirdLife Asia Division, Toyo-Shinjuku Building, 2nd Floor, Shinjuku , Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo , Japan. info@birdlife-asia.org Europe: Carles Carboneras, SEO/BirdLife, Avda. Mistral 61, Barcelona, Spain. ccarboneras@seo.org Oceania: Barry Baker, Birds Australia, 415 Riversdale Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria 3123, Australia. barry.baker@aad.gov.au Barry Weeber, 172 Taranaki Street, PO Box 631, Wellington, New Zealand. b.weeber@forestandbird.org.nz South Africa: Samantha Petersen, BirdLife South Africa. PO Box 52026, Waterfront, 8002, South Africa. seabirds@birdlife.org.za South America: South American Coordinator, Aves Argentinas 25 de mayo , 1002 Buenos Aires, Argentina. avesmarinas.sudamerica@avesargentinas.org.ar Grant Munro, Falklands Conservation, PO Box 26, Falkland Islands, FI QQ1ZZ. grant.munro@conservation.org.fk A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). This brochure was funded by the Moore Charitable Foundation Also available in Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish Designed and produced by the NatureBureau Ltd, 36 Kingfisher Court, Hambridge Road, Newbury, RG14 5SJ, UK. Printed on environmentally-friendly paper UK registered charity no

DOCUMENT SAC-08 INF D(a)

INTER-AMERICAN TROPICAL TUNA COMMISSION SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE EIGHTH MEETING La Jolla, California (USA) 8-12 May 2017 DOCUMENT SAC-08 INF D(a) SUMMARY OF TOOLS AND GUIDELINES AVAILABLE TO ASSIST