http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3007869.stm
Hopes rise for albatrosses
By Alex Kirby
BBC News Online environment correspondent
The world's largest seabirds, the albatross family, should soon benefit
from more protection around the globe.
A fourth country, South Africa, has now ratified an international
treaty, the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels
(Acap).
The biggest threat to the birds is longline fishing, which kills many
thousands every year.
Only one more signatory must ratify the agreement for it to enter into
force.
BirdLife International, an alliance of non-governmental groups working
in more than 100 countries, welcomed the South African decision.
Dragged down
Leon-David Viljoen, co-ordinator of BirdLife's Save the Albatross
campaign, said: "Acap has made great strides since its adoption just
over two years ago.
"The strength of the treaty is that it is legally binding on signatory
states, requiring them to take specific measures to reduce seabird
by-catch from longlining and improve the conservation status of
albatrosses and petrels."
BirdLife says longline fishing for Patagonian toothfish, tuna and other
commercially valuable species is the single greatest global threat to
seabirds, killing more than 300,000 annually.
Of that total, it estimates 100,000 are albatrosses, with the rest a
mixture of petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and other species.
The fishing lines can be up to 130 kilometres (80 miles) long. Seabirds
scavenge behind the boats, are caught as they try to take the bait from
the hooks, and drown when they are dragged underwater.
Other measures Acap signatories have to implement include research and
monitoring, eradication at breeding sites of introduced species such as
rats and feral cats, reduction of disturbance and habitat loss, and
reduction of marine pollution.
Plummeting stocks
Ten countries have signed the agreement, and apart from South Africa
those which have ratified it are Australia, Ecuador and New Zealand.
The UK is expected to ratify Acap next month.
There are thought to be about four million albatrosses, of 28 distinct
species. The rate of attrition from longline fishing is about 2.5%
annually.
But BirdLife says it is the rate of loss for individual species that is
important, because it varies widely.
It says: "For example, British Antarctic Survey (Bas) scientists have
been studying wandering albatross, grey-headed albatross and
black-browed albatross colonies on South Georgia since the 1960s and
1970s.
Remedies at hand
"They have discovered a chronic year-on-year decline, not only in the
survival of adult birds but also in the number of young birds surviving
to enter the population.
"These breeding populations have decreased by approximately one-third
since then. This is a huge amount for species whose whole life history
strategy is based on a high survival rate in a stable marine
environment."
Dr Deon Nel, scientific co-ordinator of the Save the Albatross
campaign, said: "Simple effective by-catch mitigation measures such as
bird-scaring streamers and line-setting at night exist.
"But they must be much more widely adopted if these magnificent birds
are to be saved from extinction."
Published: 2003/05/08 09:29:04
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