Concerned that the proposed framework for managing the incidental mortality of seabirds in New Zealand fisheries is flawed, 50 seabird biologists, including many from BirdLife Partners in the Pacific region and beyond, have written to the country’s Fisheries Minister, Phil Heatley.
And they conclude: “We urge you to reconsider the policy for managing seabird bycatch in New Zealand Fisheries. We recommend that to implement a best-practice model of management of this issue, developers of a New Zealand National Plan of Action-Seabirds (NPOA-Seabirds) follow the guidance as set out in the FAO Best Practice Guideline for Managing the Incidental Mortality of Seabirds In Fisheries. The existence of a NPOA-Seabirds for New Zealand is an obligation under ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels), and should include the precautionary management of risks that is affecting our much valued and highly vulnerable wildlife.”
