Blogs

I recently returned from a routine Albatross Task Force at-sea trip onboard a conventional wet fish trawl vessel in Argentina (fish are stored on ice, but not frozen like on the larger freezer vessels). The trip lasted a total of 16 days and fishing was concentrated around 300 km east of the Valdéz...

When we are on board, we often see commercial shipping waste dumped into the sea. In general this includes food scraps and cardboard used by the crew but sometimes pieces of plastic that is very harmful to the marine environment is dumped. There are different materials that are permitted to be discarded...

Last month we had a special visit in Mar del Plata from ATF Chile! After a long trip by plane, ferry and bus Cristián Suazo arrived in our city with the objectives of perfecting onboard safety protocols, discussing the various fishing operations onboard trawl vessels and going over the available...

In April a ‘Friends of the Albatross’ event was held by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International at the Scott Polar Institute in Cambridge. The event brought together more than 80 albatross enthusiasts who gathered to hear the latest news from Cleo Small, Euan...

Two weeks ago, when the vessel was fishing close to the Isla de los Estados , something strange happened. After having observed the morning haul, I went back to my cabin for a wash before lunch and was startled to find a bird that we are not used to seeing way out on the open ocean. It had neither...

After a long wait my voyage on a demersal (bottom) longline vessel finally set out for a trip that will last over three weeks, sailing from the port of Ushuaia. I was delighted to find that this boat is very comfortable, with internet, LCD TVs and even a gym! Not something you find on most ATF trips...

I am waiting for a trip on a longline vessel, heading off next week to Ushuaia to kick start the investigation into the longline fishery to reduce the bycatch of seabirds by implementing mitigation measures. In this case I have the job of trying out the efficiency of a tori (bird-scaring) line onboard...

From the 30 th November to the 2 nd December 2010, the ATF in Argentina and the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata -CONICET organised the second intensive observer training course for Indentification and Recording of Seabird Interactions with Fisheries. The course was intended for fishery...

At this time of year in the southern hemisphere you can enjoy a stroll along the harbour and, in the evening, watch the vessels gently roll in with their ice boxes full of fish as they arrive to the bustling activity of the port. Over the last week I’ve been dedicating my work to this peasant...