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The Task Force in Brazil
When you think of Brazil and birds, you probably think of rainforests and brightly-coloured parrots.
Albatrosses are less likely to come to mind - after all, none breed here. But the waters off the coast of Brazil are among the most fertile in the world. And where there's good food, there's sure to be an abundance of seabirds.
Albatrosses are famous for their long foraging trips, so it's hardly surprising that albatrosses seen feeding in Brazil have been satellite tracked travelling from as far away as the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha.
In the austral winter (UK summer time), Brazil's seas are teeming with life. Attracted by the feast on offer, seabirds arrive in their thousands from the colder waters of the Southern Ocean, and where there's fish, there are fishermen.
That's why it was so important to get a Task Force set up in Brazil. That wish came true thanks to the very determinded fundraising efforts of RSPB Wildlife Explorers. They raised enough money to fund one Albatross Task Force member, and I'm that lucky person.
I'm Caio Azevedo, and am a marine biologist. I've been involved in scientific fisheries research since 1998, and am really looking forward to turning Brazil into a safe haven for its seabird visitors.
In 2002, Brazil's commercial fishing fleet landed 50,575 tons of fish (mostly tuna, swordfish and sharks). It is estimated that over 6 million baited longline hooks were set, resulting in the death of nearly 7,000 seabirds - mostly black-browed albatrosses, white-chinned petrels and great shearwaters. However, Atlantic yellow-nosed, wandering, Tristan, grey-headed, light-mantled and sooty albatrosses were also caught.
Due to the shifting nature of the Brazilian fishing fleet, and because of the large number of vessels involved, running workshops is not very practical. You will therefore find me handing out education materials and chatting to boat skippers while in port.
Since 1991, Projeto Albatroz has been working with the fishing industry, researchers and universities, monitoring and recording the extent of the seabird bycatch problem, and showing fishermen how to use techniques to reduce the number of seabird deaths.
What can I do?
You don't have to travel all the way to Brazil to find out more about the work of the Albatross Task Force.
Read the Task Force blog