Blogs

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...

I’m leaving for sea tomorrow on a tuna boat, hoping to have a good trip and that what I learn will be of use for the conservation of the seabirds we are working to protect. This trip is an experiment to investigate the efficiency of an under-water setting capsule to reduce, and possibly...

During the later half of June it was off to sea again on the Irvin & Johnson wet-fish trawler, the Stevia. Once again I was looking at making the tori lines (bird scaring lines) work their best to prevent seabird deaths. Naturally, winter is the season when seabirds are most abundant in our waters...

I have been on the high seas fishing vessel Tami S II. It is the largest and most modern longliner of the Chilean pelagic fleet. This factory freezer vessel is 53 m long and can remain at sea for three to four month periods, setting lines of 60 nautical miles, each holding over 1,700 baited hooks. ...

The longline vessel 'Portugal II' sailed from the port of Coquimbo (30°S) on the 19th July, with a course set for Robinson Crusoe Island (33°40'S, 78°50'W) on the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. After three days steaming in rough weather and winds up to 30 knots, we anchored...

I just got back from a trip on a South African longliner that targets swordfish and tuna. The trip was two and a half weeks long and took place off the west coast of South Africa. Five albatrosses were accidentally caught on the longline. Four of them were dead, as they were caught while the vessel was...

First, here's a little about me. I have always been fascinated by marine life and living in such a beautiful and diverse country as South Africa, really motivated me to work as a conservationist. My aspirations grew and progressed into a determination to study Marine Ecology at the University of...