If the numbers are to be believe it is hard to see how this practice has
not caused an outcry before. If the estimate of 18,000 birds from a single
fishery is correct, then it is greater than the by-catch from the Southern
Ocean longline fishery, estimated at about half this rate.
(From, "Incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline
fishing operations" Dept Env. report
"..... then the estimated number of seabirds caught on longlines in 1994
rises to about 8 700"
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/ktp/longlinefishing.html)
Cheers
Graham Turner
Home > News > News Archive Search >
'Net losses' for South African seabirds
06-08-2008
A study of trawl fishing in South Africa suggests that around 18,000
seabirds may be killed annually in this fishery, highlighting trawl
fisheries as a major threat to seabirds, especially several species of
albatross already facing a risk of extinction.
Published in the journal Animal Conservation, the study was based on
scientists monitoring catches on 14 different vessels, operating in the
Benguela Current, off South Africa; one of the main hotspots for seabirds in
the Southern Hemisphere. The vessels were trawling for hake, and the
majority of bird deaths were a result of collisions with wires - known as
warp lines - leading from the stern of the vessels.
"We believe the seabird deaths the scientists recorded might be just the tip
of the iceberg", said John Croxall, Chair of BirdLife's Global Seabird
Programme. "It suggests that around 18,000 seabirds may be killed annually
in this fishery alone," he added.
|
