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The problem of incidental seabird mortality in fisheries is a global concern. The interaction is exacerbated as the areas of high productivity targeted by marine fisheries are also the key foraging grounds for many seabirds, creating a strong overlap between humans and these vulnerable marine vertebrates...

Working aboard a hake longliner in Namibia is a tough life for everyone aboard. The hours are long and gruelling. I would say longline crew are amongst the hardest working people in Namibia and always battling against difficult sea conditions. I have just spent the last two weeks on board to compare...

Hi everybody. I thought twice before writing this diary, because we usually try to provide more positive information and show beautiful pictures of our work. However, our job is not always about happy endings; we also witness a lot of sad situations. In this instance I specifically refer to the albatrosses...

The Albatross Task Force (ATF) not only aims to educate fishermen about the work we do and implement the solutions into tangible rules within the fishing industry, but we also aim to educate the public and other researchers within the realm of seabird bycatch. Once a team has implemented the best...

The Albatross Task Force is working with the longline industry in South Africa, where recently we came across a very rare seabird in our waters – a Tristan Albatross, which was accidentally caught as we were conducting a routine trip onboard one of our local vessels. What makes this all the more...

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...

From the 30 th November to the 2 nd December 2010, the ATF in Argentina and the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata -CONICET organised the second intensive observer training course for Indentification and Recording of Seabird Interactions with Fisheries. The course was intended for fishery...

At this time of year in the southern hemisphere you can enjoy a stroll along the harbour and, in the evening, watch the vessels gently roll in with their ice boxes full of fish as they arrive to the bustling activity of the port. Over the last week I’ve been dedicating my work to this peasant...

I’m leaving for sea tomorrow on a tuna boat, hoping to have a good trip and that what I learn will be of use for the conservation of the seabirds we are working to protect. This trip is an experiment to investigate the efficiency of an under-water setting capsule to reduce, and possibly...

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...

For over 30 years Bruce Pearson , a professional artist, has worked on a range of themes to convey his enthusiasm for wildlife and especially birds, giving a sense of wonder to the wild places they inhabit. More recently he has focused some of his time on developing creative links between art and conservation...

Hello Albatross supporters! A lot has happened since my last diary entry. As I mentioned in some of my previous entries the highest priority of the South African longline team for 2010 is to determine the effect using extra weight on fishing gear has on the catch rate of tuna and swordfish. We hope...

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...

I was recently invited by the International School to give a talk to their students about my work - a brilliant opportunity as many of the kids have parents involved in the fishing industry. In fact, my invitation came about because two of the senior students had done a project about a year ago on...

Hi everyone, It has been a very busy winter here in Cape Town with lots of rain and cold weather, but summer is coming, along with some changes. We have moved to a new office close to the harbour - a major upgrade, and it makes life so much easier when the boats are round the corner. Thanks to Cape Bird...

During the last few weeks, we have been working onshore on a variety of activities with individual fishermen, fishing companies and governmental representatives. Following two trips on the Sirius III, a 60-metre 'fresh' trawler (which keeps the catch on ice), we have been arranging a trip...

Hi everybody. My name is John Paterson and I am the first Albatross Task Force Instructor to be based in Namibia. I have been tasked to work with the hake trawl fishery in Namibia and a second Instructor is to be recruited to work with the hake longline fishery. This is all new and exciting for...

During the later half of June it was off to sea again on the Irvin & Johnson wet-fish trawler, the Stevia. Once again I was looking at making the tori lines (bird scaring lines) work their best to prevent seabird deaths. Naturally, winter is the season when seabirds are most abundant in our waters...

Less than 24 hours after I sent my first diary, I finally received a long awaited call allowing me to board the FV Sirius III, a 60 metre-long 'freshie' trawler ship. I left the Mar del Plata port on 26 April at 6 pm. We started the voyage with a hard swell and the skipper Ruben Rodriguez, who...

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...

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...

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. ...

The longline vessel 'Portugal II' sailed from the port of Coquimbo (30°S) on the 19th July, with a course set for Robinson Crusoe Island (33°40'S, 78°50'W) on the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. After three days steaming in rough weather and winds up to 30 knots, we anchored...

Last month we said goodbye to a special person, colleague, friend, albatross admirer, Samantha Petersen, who left the Albatross Task Force (ATF) after four years of managing BirdLife South Africa Marine Programme, most of the time being the only one on the team. On a personal note, Sam was the one...

When I had started here, working in seabird conservation, I had never even seen an albatross before, never been on a fishing boat before - the challenge was unknown to me. Now, almost two years down the line, I can safely say that I have achieved what very few people who work in conservation can say...