Richard Thomas / BirdLife 70% of the global Black-browed Albatross population breeds in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Zoom In

New action plans for seabirds

14-04-2004

Seabirds across the Southern Ocean are set to benefit from new conservation plans. New Zealand and the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) have each adopted new National Plans of Action for Seabirds (NPOAs).

In the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) the long-term survival of many seabirds (including the Black-browed Albatross, with 70% of the global breeding population) has been boosted by the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Government's adoption of its National Plan of Action for Seabirds. The plan was drafted by Falklands Conservation (BirdLife in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (BirdLife in the UK), under the guidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

The introduction of local mitigation measures to the longlining fleet has led to a significant reduction in the number of seabirds killed in recent years. The vast majority of seabird mortality in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is now caused by factory trawlers that discharge offal. The adoption of a specific plan to address the problems caused by trawling makes a significant first in seabird conservation around the world. The entire offshore commercial fishing fleet in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is now covered by detailed plans to reduce seabird mortality.

"The adoption of these Falkland Action Plans is a milestone in protecting the beleaguered albatrosses of the Southern Ocean. They put the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) at the forefront of seabird-friendly fishing and have lit a beacon for other fishing nations to follow." —Dr Euan Dunn, Head of the RSPB Marine Unit

Since 2001, the Falklands Conservation Seabirds at Sea Team and the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fisheries Department have been working closely with the local fishing industry to develop and trial mitigation methods for trawlers. This recently culminated in experimental trials that identified a successful mitigation method that will become a licensing condition for all trawlers for the second season in 2004 and is hoped will reduce seabird deaths to negligible levels in a relatively short time frame.

Graham Robertson/Australian Antarctic Division A dead Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans drowned on longline Zoom In

In New Zealand the BirdLife representative, Forest and Bird, has broadly welcomed the release of the New Zealand plan, which will apply to all seabirds affected by commercial and non-commercial fishing methods. However, the organisation has raised concerns that the plan's emphasis on voluntary mitigation methods is likely to mean that many thousands of albatrosses and petrels will still be needlessly killed each year by New Zealand fisheries.

Currently at least 10,000 albatrosses and petrels are killed annually in New Zealand waters by trawlers and longliners, with a two-tier system appearing to be in place. Japanese tuna boats operating under strict regulations in New Zealand waters have reduced seabird by-catch from 4,000 birds per year to fewer than 20 individual birds. However, a New Zealand fishing boat recently caught 300 seabirds in a single month. These discrepancies are explained by the fact that the Japanese tuna boats have 100% observer coverage and strict requirements to follow, but New Zealand boats do not.

"These lessons have been ignored by officials preparing the plan of action. No one would seriously suggest a voluntary approach to speed limits on the roads to reduce the road toll, so why are we looking at a voluntary approach to avoid the killing of threatened seabird species?" —Barry Weeber, Senior Researcher, Forest and Bird

Forest and Bird point out that New Zealand has pushed for regulations in a range of international fisheries (including the Antarctic). Yet there appears to be a double standard being proposed, with voluntary methods within New Zealand and strict regulations on the high seas. Forest and Bird will be monitoring the implementation of the NPOA and stress that an early review of the plan will be essential.