Albatross Task Force / Bird Matters Project Profile

Bokamoso Labepe discusses the Albatross Task Force (ATF) and their focus on sea bird bycatch mitigation measures through working with and educating fisheries, and supplying tools for them to use.

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, resulting in the development of the Global Seabird Programme (GSP). While the GSP is addressing an impressive range of seabird conservation issues, a major focus was, and remains, saving albatrosses from extinction by working with fishing industries and national governments and, wherever possible, to find innovative and win-win solutions to seabird bycatch. This, in a nutshell, is the work of the Albatross Task Force (ATF).

BirdLife South Africa hosted the first ATF team in 2006 – there are now another 7 in other countries (Namibia, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina). By the end of 2008 (to date) it was clear that the work was worth it – the ATF had notched up a fantastic 8570-95% reduction in seabird bycatch!

The South African ATF team primarily works with three fleets within our local waters: the deep-sea hake trawl fishery, the pelagic longline fishery (made up of local and foreign Asian fishing vessels) and the hake longline fleet.

Видео Albatross Task Force / Bird Matters Project Profile канала Bird Matters