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Three days have already gone by since we left the harbour, and I'm realizing that I have a great relationship with this crew - they are a respectful and polite bunch. And with sea conditions also pretty good, it is so nice to have left the harbour and not have to face a turbulent sea! On this vessel...
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I met my room mates during the first days of the trip: Héctor, the second official (he sails the vessel in the night) and Juan, the first mechanic, one of the persons in charge of the engine room. The crew was composed by six officials, three cooks, four technical personnel, one nurse, 24 sailors...
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Our work during the current fishing season has been to focus on supporting the monitoring programme for the swordfish fishery, which the Chilean fisheries investigation institute (IFOP) manages. This monitoring includes sea-trips carried out by scientific observers on 100% of the longline fishing vessels...
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I have been up to some exciting adventures. Let's start with my second sea trip out on a trawlers fishing for hake. This vessel was slightly smaller than the last one I went on, so the rocking motion from the swell was even more exaggerated! Needless to say I was seasick on this trip! The first day...
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At this time of the year when we go to sea, we get a bit apprehensive because of the changing weather patterns. As it happened, while we were preparing to leave for sea the wind suddenly turned to the south-west. So we had to wait and depart the next day. We went to monitor an 'albatross-friendly...
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I was recently aboard a 30-metre long Uruguayan longline vessel targeting swordfish for 14 days. Due to bad weather, it was only possible to fish for seven of those days. During the first set of the fishing lines, a bird-scaring line was used to help prevent seabird bycatch. Unfortunately, the bird-scaring...
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My first day finally arrived with some anticipation but also with some excitement. This was the day I was to set sail onboard a commercial trawler for the first time. This was my training trip for my new job as an Instructor for the South African Albatross Task Force Team. After two trips to sea had...
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I spent time at sea for my first trip as an instructor onboard a 35 m longline vessel. The trip was short, lasting just eight days, so we only managed to set three lines before returning to port. During my time onboard, I discussed the need to reduce the access of the seabirds to the baited hooks while...
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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. We...
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Onboard the longline fishing vessel 'Verde Vale XI' This cruise, despite the climatic conditions, allowed us to test new configurations of the tori line, making clear the difficulties and peculiarities of each fishing art with distinct regional characteristics. Through the skippers I have met...
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Onboard the longline fishing vessel 'Verde Vale XI' We are again anchored. Several days of really bad weather are preventing us from doing our work. The turbulent sea prevents us from going out on the deck. On the few days we worked, for any set accomplished, we captured seabirds, and we are...
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Finally we started setting out the fishing and tori lines. After three days anchored, the weather was better and we could reach the fishing area where we did the first set. The tori lines were ready, but according to the protocol established on previous trips, the first set was accomplished without using...
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We sailed to the south, and the sea is very agitated and I'm worried because maybe we won't set today. A day without working means one more day at the sea, which makes the fishermen upset. But I carry on testing different techniques to help save albatrosses. 17 June The fishing productivity was...
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There are only two commercial harbours in Namibia: Walvis Bay to the north and Luderitz in the south. Sandwich harbour, a former fishing port, is now a proclaimed Ramsar site (i.e. a site designated for international protection due to its wetland wildlife importance). But, Walvis Bay is where we are...
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I have decided this time to write my diary 'live' from sea. At the moment I am on my seventh day onboard the 'Saxon', a South African tuna and swordfish longliner which agreed to carry me onboard for the second time (first trip was last May). We are enjoying very moody weather which constantly...