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 putting out the baited line and will have drowned as the hooks sank.
The other was an Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross that was hooked in his wing during the hauling in of the line and this one was released alive. We also caught and released a leatherback turtle and a female Cape fur seal.
We tried two different Tori lines (streamers) and together with the crew came up with some ideas of how to reduce the bird catch, especially on the full moon nights (the period when all the dead birds were caught).
We also looked at how to prevent the Tori from getting entangled with the longline, which is the main problem for these fishermen. Two of the birds were caught the same day the Tori broke (only a couple of hours later), which shows how effective these streamers can be.
The crew was very helpful and I even appointed the Chief Engineer as a 'Bird Officer'! He will keep me informed on the bird bycatch on their next trips and bring me samples of any albatross that are accidentally caught.
I hope that now the crew has some new ideas and techniques, future trips will not catch so many albatrosses.
We have 75 confirmed attendees for the hake longline workshop this week, which includes boat owners, skippers, crew and representatives from Marine and Coastal Management. I’m looking forward to building a relationship with this group.
Currently, this type of longline sinks very slowly, and the workshop will present a number of options for increasing the speed the bait sinks beyond the reach of albatrosses, without impacting on the number of hake fish caught. There is a delicate balance to be struck here, and this is why it is so important to work with the fisheries, to be certain that we understand their needs, as they understand ours.
I’ve also been running a series of workshops for scientific observers. These much-needed observers will spend time at-sea, collecting data from fisheries and recording bycatch. A high percentage of bycatch around the world goes unrecorded, and scientists therefore use the best available data from observers and fleets that do report, to estimate the world’s total seabird bycatch. More observer data will therefore enable scientists to estimate bycatch more accurately in the future.
So, that’s my latest - and I even found time for a quick trip to Namibia, where fishermen are interested in learning more about albatross-friendly techniques. Never a dull moment!
I'm out at sea on a tuna longliner, where we will test streamer lines and different ways to get the lines and bait to sink faster, beyond the reach of the albatrosses.
I'll also be monitoring and counting which types of seabirds are following the boat as they fish.
I will be back in the next week or so and will update my diary with new photos and information about this trip.
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 Cape Town.
I've spent a lot of time exploring the coastline of South Africa, both by sailboat and fishing vessel, and I have seen first-hand the general exploitation of aquatic resources.
I was thrilled at the idea of becoming an Albatross Task Force member. I particularly like the way that the programme does not limit itself to making management decisions behind a desk, but instead works directly with fishermen, at-sea and onshore, a conservation strategy I live by.
So what have I been doing? In my first few weeks as an ATF member, I've been analysing bycatch data collected over six weeks last year on hake longline vessels. We tested different mitigation methods and recorded the outcomes.
I'm currently finalising a report on the results to present at a bycatch workshop in mid-May, with around 100 hake fishermen and their fishery managers. I hope that this workshop will encourage more vessels to adopt albatross-friendly fishing methods, and gain a better understanding of why this is so important. I'll let you know how I get on!
At the start of April I spent a couple of weeks on the Falkland Islands – they are a wildlife haven, with many penguin colonies, and also the largest black-browed albatross colony in the world, at around 113,000 breeding pairs.
The plight of the albatross receives a high profile on the islands, with the local newspaper regularly reporting on efforts to preserve the population.
By April it was already getting warmer outside, which felt wonderful after over a year in the cold while I was working at the Halley Research Station in the Antarctic! Standing on the deck watching the world go by is much more enticing than it was further south.
We left the fog-shrouded Falklands and were soon rewarded with the sight of hundreds of black-browed albatrosses following the ship. We couldn’t have asked for a better send-off as they heralded us out of the southern ocean on our way to warmer climes. Those of us lucky enough to see them are left with a striking image of these impressive birds.
It’s now May and my journey is coming to an end now, as we enter the English Channel. It’s been an amazing experience travelling the length of the Atlantic, from the Antarctic through the Tropics.
During the first part of the journey, albatrosses accompanied us, and as we headed towards the Equator they were replaced by boobies and frigatebirds. North of the Equator, we saw a red-billed tropicbird between South America and the Azores – we were all amazed at how far it must have travelled to reach us. Yesterday we were followed by three swallows, presumably on their migration from north Africa to Britain.
I’m very excited about seeing my family again after 18 months away, but also very lucky to be going back to South Georgia at the end of the year once again.