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The Task Force in Ecuador
Ecuador is home to one of the world's most endangered albatrosses - the waved albatross, which nests on the Galápagos Islands - and it's my job to take care of these birds.
I'm Jorge Samaniego, and I work with Aves y Conservación to gain a better understanding of how waved albatrosses interact with fishing fleets in this part of the world.
Hot equatorial sunshine provides the waters around Ecuador with just the energy needed to make them very nutrient-rich. This means they can support a staggeringly wide variety of marine species, including tuna, swordfish, sardines and anchovies, all of which are widely fished.
Because of this, the fishing fleets here number some thousand vessels. Therefore, even extremely low levels of bycatch per vessel could have dramatic impacts on the waved albatross population.
As part of my work, I provide training in seabird identification, plus the technical aspects of seabird bycatch, to colleagues working as onboard observers.
Working closely with a number of organisations, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming, Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAGAP), the Undersecretary of Fishery Resources (SRP) and the General Fisheries Directive (DGP), and with support from the National Fisheries Institute (INP), has led to the development of a network through which we can share information from across the fleets.
It is thanks to this network that we have identified the fishing fleets which need our help most. We are now working with these fleets on mitigation measures to reduce their bycatch.
Simply understanding the threats associated with such large and diverse fleets is a real challenge, but as we develop the Task Force programme in Ecuador, we are learning where we need to focus our efforts most to save these amazing birds.
What can I do?
You don't have to travel all the way to Ecuador to find out more about the work of the Albatross Task Force.
Read the Task Force blog
Last modified: 20 August 2010