April, 2009

We are at an important moment for the team. Finding a bird-scaring line design for the Uruguayan fleet that works for their operations has been a worry for us since we started. We have been working to try and raise awareness of the seabird issue with them and developing ideas to stop the mortality of seabirds in the world's oceans.

To solve our problem, one of the actions from our January Chile workshop was that the ATF team in Uruguay and the team in Brazil would work together in the search for a bird-scaring line design for the fleets fishing off the coast of these countries.

So for the past month we have been bringing together materials for the construction of a series of bird-scaring lines and towed devices that will be used to provide tension, causing the lines to fly high behind the vessels.

As a first step, Sebastian Jiménez travelled to Brazil to work with the Brazilian team in order to standardise protocols, materials and designs that we will be using over the course of the year. We can now go out to see and test them. Can't wait!

Hello to all albatross fans!

We don't just speak to fishermen at sea. Most fishermen spend long periods of time at-sea and as there are only a few ATF instructors around, we try to meet them in between their trips. Albatross Task Force South Africa has for the last three years been conducting training workshops. In these workshops we tackle issues such as seabird, turtle and shark bycatch. Together we look for ways of action to solve these problems by using both parties' experience.

Lately, the ATF has also supported the WWF Marine Programme which has developed a unique training course to explore an Environmental Approach to Fisheries. These workshops last for two days, at the end of which the attendees receive a T-shirt and a certificate. ATF Instructors help whenever we can with the organisation of these workshops and our presentations focus on the trawl and longline fisheries with which we work.

Last week we packed our belongings and flew to the town of Richards Bay, located on the east coast of South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal to conduct a longline training workshops for skippers, crew and Fishing Compliance Officers from the region.

This was the first time we'd done this in the region as we are based in Cape Town where the main bulk of the longline and trawl fisheries are located. The workshop went really well and included a skipper and his son I went to sea with three years ago! All attendees said they enjoyed it very much and learned a lot.

Sitting together conservationists, fishermen and fishery enforcement officers brings up very important issues such as laws, research and social mattersThe discussions that arose are immensely interesting and we also learn a lot from the industry. This kind of dialog also clarifies lots of misunderstandings that occur amongst the fishing sector.

The main message we try to bring across is that everything links to everything else. The fish to the birds, the birds to people, the ocean to our families and especially the way we treat our environment to the quality of our lives.

We all agree that we're all on the same side and that we must work together to ensure the marine environment has a chance to thrive into the future.

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 and me.

The work of the sailors was divided among those who are on the deck and handle the net and those that work in the factory, cutting and cleaning the fishes to obtain the final product as frozen fish. The activities of the vessel were usually carried out for some 21 hours a day but we only fished during daylight.

The third week provided a surprise. One morning I found an adult black-browed albatross alive, walking along the deck of the vessel. Sometimes the seabirds collide against some part of the ship and remain injured or only stunned. Then they can't manage to take off since they are prevented by the high walls on the deck.

In these cases it is necessary to proceed to cover the head with a rag, take it by the body carefully and throw it back to the water. This is what I did on this occasion and the albatross, with sure flight, rapidly and majestically soared far from the ship.

Some species in small numbers besides the more common species can be seen in the flocks. During the hauls I saw some broad-billed prions (small birds that fly agilely and rapidly), grey-headed albatross (similar to black-browed albatross, but with a beautiful black bill with a yellow and orange line on top) and southern fulmar (a medium petrel with a grey, white and black plumage). But probably the most beautiful sight is 10 or 20 northern and southern royal albatrosses around the vessel.

One day in the evening, the captain commented to us that there would be a tempest at night. At 2.30 am the ship began to ascend and drop down enormous waves of more than 8 metres, trembling on every fall.

Among the crew there were faces of worry because is not common to have many storms of such intensity, with winds of more than 100 km per hour. During 12 hours the tempest shook the vessel and our nerves until the moment arrived in which we could relax and continue with the daily tasks. Then we had several days of calm almost as a reward for the long night.

We have been operating for a year now and have a made some progress on getting a handle on what is happening in the Namibian hake trawl fishery. I have not been out to sea recently, but am hoping to rectify this soon as the office becomes tedious compared to life at-sea!

2009 got off to a brilliant start with a trip to Chile where I attended the first ATF International Workshop in Coquimbo in January. This was a fantastic workshop where I met up with all my South American ATF counterparts, what a wonderful dedicated bunch of people.

The workshop was a great learning experience on our work in the international arena and was really motivating. We spent a training day at-sea looking at line sink rates on a pelagic longliner and in between the experiments I got to see some super birds including a Chatham albatross and Westland petrel. Inca tern, a bird that has been long on my wish list, was ticked early one morning at the fishing harbour.

Following the workshop where we looked at seabird mitigation research I now have a research project which will keep me busy for the next 10 months. I have established links with an industry partner and hope to start at sea data gathering in the near future.

I have spent some serious desk time recently sorting out budgets, year plans, data entry and assisting with the WWF Responsible Fisheries training. This is a wonderful forum for engaging with fishermen to discuss the problems around incidental seabird mortalities.

The data entry work has been interesting as it is part of testing the new ATF Database which is a really cool database application developed for our needs. I think with all teams using this we will be able to have a more standard data set across all countries.

While I have been shore bound we had a slew of albatross mortalities along the beaches around Walvis. Happily these mortalities were not fishing related, but they point towards interesting birds using our Benguela system as one of the records was of a light-mantled albatross - the first record for Namibia and only the 12th for southern Africa - and a ringed juvenile Tristan albatross.

2009 looks to be a busy and interesting year!

For albatrosses there are no frontiers, and neither for the ATF

During the Albatross Task Force's early history and until now we couldn't have a meeting to discuss the mitigation measures and the best strategies to reach the main goal which is save the seabirds. It was therefore amazing to hold a workshop in Coquimbo, Chile, and we learned a lot from this meeting.  

Before the workshop, several ideas were being improved by researchers on how to improve the design and the bird scaring line (toriline) efficacy. Moreover, it was pretty hard to apply such models for all the fleets around the world. Cultural and language differences became a big barrier to implement such measures.

However, in 2006 the Albatross Task Force was launched, a work to be accomplished on land and at sea by experienced instructors. These professionals should help the fishermen in order to introduce the mitigation measures. Each country had developed their own tori-line over time and during the workshop in Coquimbo, we discussed several essential elements for the best effective tori-line.

Several countries participated: South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador. Several experiences were presented and discussed, and Brazil and Uruguay showed a similarity between fishing gear used on pelagic longline vessels. These two delegations decided to accept the challenge to develop a better tori-line to suit both fleets.

Several preliminary meetings were made in order to start the Cruises for 2009. Now we are two countries with five instructors! One of us is already at-sea to accomplish some technical tests, between two types of tori-line, the Brazilian one, and a mixed tori-line with longer streamers. Right now we are waiting for the result of this pilot cruise in order to start our research plan.

Meanwhile we are 'ficamos a ver navios' (a Portuguese expression that means we are visiting vessels) while we wait for Caio to come back from his cruise! When you have been on the high sea several times, you become like an 'addict', as we know the beauty of the sea, we cannot stop to think about this feeling as we live in two worlds, one solid and the other liquid and I'm in love with both worlds. Living in a way that I can visualize and respect the beauty that our planet gives to us!

In 15 days I will be back to my liquid world, it will be fantastic and I promise that I shall write an emotional diary such this one!!!  

Um grande abraço a todos...