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When we were defining our annual work programme in Chile we were keen to maintain a link with the community, beyond that of the fishing industry. In fact, we have always strived to extend the information about seabird bycatch and albatross conservation to the public in general. As such we decided...

The process of spreading awareness of seabird bycatch in fisheries and the work of the ATF is a topic that is very rewarding, especially when ATF instructors from other countries are able to come and share their experiences. The ATF recently organised the first Seabird Bycatch Symposium in Chile as...

There has been a distinct contrast in the background scenery to the work we have been conducting in Chile recently. Personally, I have been just as busy working at-sea on fishing vessels as I have generating awareness of our work through an ornithology congress and public talks. The first of these...

For many of us the recurring theme of the enormous accumulation of waste caused by human activities is a great concern. Through the ebb and flow of our daily lives, we discard large volumes of both solid and liquid waste products. Indeed, the current rate of consumption of biosphere resources means...

Arriving at night to the trawl fishing vessel, Bonn, I took began my first sea trip with ATF - Chile. The next day amongst the unforgettable roll of the sea, I immediately set to work as the fishing operation started, as demands our role as ATF Instructors. As I began I reflected that this work goes...

Last month we had a special visit in Mar del Plata from ATF Chile! After a long trip by plane, ferry and bus Cristián Suazo arrived in our city with the objectives of perfecting onboard safety protocols, discussing the various fishing operations onboard trawl vessels and going over the available...

Between the 24 th and 27 th January 2011, I had the opportunity to take part in a workshop organised by the Chilean Environment Ministry to evaluate conservation actions for the Pink-footed shearwater Puffinus creatopus under the mark of the Agreement for Environmental Cooperation between Chile...

This was my first trip on a trawl vessel in Chile, with a fleet that targets common hake. We set off from the San Vincent port in the central southern part of Chile (around Latitude 36°S). The vessel is an industrial trawler and is pretty large, measuring 60 m which is much larger than the smaller...

Hi everyone, I'm writing to explain about how I've been spending the last few months on an important activity for all Task Force teams - helping to train local fishery observers. I've been working with the local Fisheries Institute (Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, IFOP)　to develop workshops...

Here in Chile, the team’s efforts have changed focus over the last couple of months from our usual at sea activities. We have taken time during the seasonal closure of the longline fleet to focus on carrying out capacity building and educational workshops for scientific observers. We’ve also...

The third part of my diary from the 90-day trip onboard a longline fishing vessel in Chile is a summary of the last two weeks and also a more personal point of view of life at sea. In general, a fishing trip of three to four, or on occasion five, months at sea is extremely exhausting; not only physically...

In the first part of this diary I commented on the general tasks carried out by ATF instructors onboard. Now I will describe some more occurrences during the trip. On this journey I shared with a scientific observer, Alex López, from the Fisheries Institute (IFOP). IFOP are the organisation...

Back in July, we set sail from the port of Coquimbo in Chile with the challenge of studying mitigation measure design and the associated reduction of seabird bycatch. Historically, bycatch has been particularly high on the vessel that I have now joined for the next three months. This has been due, we...

In the first six months of the fishing season, I have mainly been focussed on getting the mitigation research plan up and running for the pelagic longline fishery. This fleet targets swordfish from the port of Coquimbo and currently includes seven vessels. The research plan has the comparison of two...

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...

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...

I'm sitting in the port of Coquimbo in Chile, just about to set off for a month aboard a longline vessel. The fishing crew will be looking for swordfish on this trip. We've spent some time on trip preparations. We are going to try using time depth recorders. These small devices, no larger...

The year started with a big decrease in the numbers of longline fishing vessels active in the swordfish fishery in Chile. Currently there are now five vessels at-sea and two industrial freezer ships waiting to leave port. That gives us a total of just seven vessels. As each vessel prepared to leave...

I have been on dry land! The whole Albatross Task Force team in Chile - that's Dr Carlos Moreno, Rodrigo, Humberto, Oli and myself - have been working closely together. We don't often get this chance as we are based in different locations in Chile. We got together to meet the industrial...

We have arrived in the summer months of December and January and typically the pelagic longline vessels stop their activities and the crew take a well-earned rest. This period lasts until the end of February and in some cases extends to mid-March. During this time, I have taken the opportunity to...

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. ...

I have been meeting people and filling up my brain with lots of info in readiness for my new task. I can say that I understand the fishing industries and their impacts on seabirds better. I have learned more about the important fishing areas in Chile, the different fishing techniques used for the different...

First, allow me to introduce myself. My background is quite international: I was born in Mexico to a father from Chile and a mother from Brazil. I grew up in Israel, in a kibbutz up north. There I studied at The Environmental High School located in the desert at Sede Boker. Following military service...