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Last month I returned from my most recent trip, this time aboard on the FV Maria , the same longliner that I had worked with last winter. We spent 19 days at sea and conducted 15 longline sets. In order to minimize seabird interactions all these sets were performed with a tori line deployed and were...

Hi everybody! I have good news from Brazil. The Brazilian Ministries of Fisheries and Environment signed a new law , that means any pelagic longline vessel fishing below the 20° S must now use tori lines during all setting operations and include a weight of at least 60 g placed no more than two...

I have recently done three consecutive at-sea trips in order to test mitigation measures that reduce seabird by catch, so I have a lot of stories to tell! The trips were aboard the 18 m long, wooden longliner Anarthur. The Anarthur’s skipper is called Darke, who works in collaboration with Projeto...

Hello friends of the seabirds! I am back from field work to tell you about another adventure from Projeto Albatroz , this time on board the Gera IX vessel from port Itajaí, Brazil. Our journey begins at the Jorge Seif Fishing Company of Itajaí, from where we hauled anchor with fishing...

A lot has happened since my last diary. First of all we celebrated a fantastic year for the ATF team in Brazil! We acheived something we have all been working toward - "zero birds captured" during our ATF trips at-sea in the longline fishery – a huge result! However, our work is not...

Hello friends of the seabirds, This year has been amazing; rough seas, wonderful birds, good boat crews and a lot of positive energy within the Brazilian Albatross Task Force team. The challenges faced working onboard have been the most difficult we’ve faced so far, testing a combination...

Recently I returned from my first trip working with the Albatross Task Force aboard the pelagic longline vessel “Maria Letícia”, from Torquato Pontes Fish Company. This boat sailed under captain Celso, a very experienced captain who specializes in catching tunas. Captain Celso...

The summer is the slow period for fishing activities in Brazil. The work is limited to the preparation of up and coming trips and improving the equipment, mitigation and conducting important meetings with our colleagues. Frequently such activities are carried out in pleasant places close to the port...

It has been an emotional winter, with two sensational sea trips. I have so much information I don’t know where to start; attacks from a group of killer whales (orcas), arrivals of turtles, albatrosses and fantastic fishes plus all the great stories from the fishermen! I’ll start with the...

During this year our team has been trying out experiments to test the efficiency of tori lines . For a few months we were working on the design of the line that we were adapting to suit the fishery in Uruguay. As we already knew through our experiences onboard, the tori lines in can sometimes become...

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...

Hello companions, it is with great satisfaction that I'm sharing with you my activities. As Martin Abreu, an Albatross Task Force member working in Brazil, said recently, we are at such an 'important moment'. The Brazilian and Uruguay Albatross Task Forces are working together so we can find...

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...

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...

On return from the ATF meeting in Chile, I had a meeting with my colleague, the Itajaí representative of Projeto Albatroz, Patricia Mancini, and she updated me about the longline fleet in port and what has happened in Itajaí during my 15 days of absence. Several changes had occurred...

Here in Brazil we have an expression: 'When everything starts well, it will also finish well!' In our latest mission, the Projeto Albatroz staff and I embarked ATF Coordinator Oli Yates in a longline vessel to test and demonstrate two ‘tori line’ techniques to prevent albatrosses...

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...

I am back to land after 22 days at sea and lots of fishing. This cruise gave me the opportunity to share important information with the crew of FV Yamaia III about keeping as many seabirds as possible safe. The fishing ground was between 23° to 26°S latitude and 37° to 44°W longitude...

I have just returned from my first trip with Itaipava fleet in Brazil. It was in at the deep end. We got into a dangerous situation and had to rescued! The fishing cruises in this region tend to be shorter (15-18 days), when compared to the fleet of Santos/São Paulo State and Itajaí...

Firstly I would like to say that I am very pleased to be part of such important team as the Albatross Task Force and very proud to be chosen among so many candidates. I felt very happy and enthusiastic to start my task in Itajaí port! I had the opportunity to go on the Brazilian Research Vessel...

Well... first, before I introduce myself, I would like to share my happiness and enthusiasm to join the Albatross Task Force Team, Guardians of Albatrosses! I am very pleased to join this select group of people who dedicate their work and effort for this noble matter which is the conservation of such...

During Spring on the oceanic islands, albatrosses are being born! The same is happening with the Albatross Task Force! New members are joining in order to maintain the oceanic species diversity. In December several candidates applied for two positions at ATF-Brazil. We had 75 applications and we did...

I usually write a diary after a sea trip but this time I had a different kind of trip. I have just returned from South America where I spent seven weeks in one of the most exciting places I've ever seen. The original purpose of this trip was to attend the International Fishing Forum which was...

The 2007 fishing season is finishing! As the Christmas holidays are coming, the vessels are finishing the last trip of the year. During the year each vessel completes around 11 fishing cruises. From March until September, they fish around the Brazilian Continental Shelf, off the Santa Catarina and...

Hello friends of seabirds. At this time of the year it is very dangerous to sail here in the South Atlantic. To make you know how bad it is to navigate, when the FV Oceano Brasil reached the fishing area, and we started to fish, the wind changed its direction. So, we did the hauling facing a sea with...