Fishers and scientists put heads together to save seabirds

Bali, Indonesia – International seabird specialists met with local longline tuna fishers at the Indonesian Tuna Longline Association offices in Benoa port last month to discuss the methods and challenges of keeping seabirds away from their hooks.

Skippers' workshops like these, where scientists and vessel captains meet to exchange knowledge on limiting the accidental capture of non-target species, are an important tool to help prevent seabirds from being injured or killed in tuna fisheries.

Limiting bycatch of endangered species like the iconic albatross and other seabirds is crucial not only for the survival of the magnificent birds that roam the high seas but for the health of the whole marine ecosystem.

The workshop was organised through Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna project supported by the FAO-led Common Oceans Tuna Project in partnership with the Indonesian government and the NGO Birdlife International.

"Cleaners of the sea"

Albatrosses are the cleaners of the sea," said Ross Wanless, seabird specialist and Project Coordinator at the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) who co-led the workshop.

"Without them the nutrients of the dead squid or fish they eat drop down to the seafloor. It can take millennia for those nutrients to get back to the top where the tuna feed."

Seabirds are also foragers contributing to the balance of species in marine ecosystems as well as an indicator of the health of the oceans so important actors in the ecosystems approach to sustainable fisheries management.

A key guiding principle of the workshops, the methods developed over more than a decade, is the recognition that fishers have years of practical experience at sea that the scientists can never match, and knowledge exchange is therefore crucial to the implementation of effective bycatch prevention methods.

"Pieces of a jigsaw"

There are several scientifically proven techniques to prevent seabird bycatch in long line fishing: tori lines or bird-scaring lines, adding weight close to the hook, or setting hooks only at night. Hook shields that encase the point and barb during line setting are also recommended.

"Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each measure works in its particular way but has its own limitations as well," said Wanless,

 "This changes when they're used in combination with the other bycatch mitigation measures, with each measure compensating for a shortcoming of the other."

RFMO regulations

It was the first Common Oceans seabird workshop with tuna fishers in Bali, so the main task of the organizers was to explain why preventing and reporting seabird bycatch is part of the fishing vessels' Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMOs) reporting and sustainability obligations.

Regulations adopted by RFMOs to prevent bycatch are not always effectively communicated to fishers, which can reduce the level of buy-in and lead to lower levels of compliance.

The material presented covered why seabirds keep tuna stocks healthy, descriptions of effective bycatch mitigation techniques and the importance of accurate reporting procedures. 

The fishers and skippers were also given laminated posters produced by CCSBT to take on board with graphics explaining the best ways to set their lines to avoid catching birds. The benefits in reducing seabird bycatch are not limited to the ecosystem health but can also improve the efficiency of individual fishing boats.

"Every time a bird takes a bait, that's one less fish you can catch" said Joe Zelasney, project manager for the FAO-led Common Oceans tuna project, which plays a pivotal role in supporting governments, NGOs and fisheries organisations to organise the workshops.

The Bali workshop had the backing of the Indonesian government and was also beneficial for those whose job it is to make sure the RFMO rules are enforced.

"The seabird mitigation workshop organized by CCSBT in Indonesia is a very important and timely step towards sustainable tuna fisheries management. said Pak Dodiet, a senior government official and former fisheries observer, and one of the workshop participants.

"Through interaction and discussion, we were able to learn from each other and improve coordination in seabird mitigation efforts," he said.