BirdLife''s Global Seabird Programme is supporting a series of satellite tracking projects to minimise the amount of seabirds caught on longlines.
“Tracking data is so important”, said Helen Booker, Senior Policy Officer with BirdLife’s Global Seabird Programme. “With it we can really demonstrate to the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) exactly where the problems are and where mitigation measures urgently need to be put in place”.
Completing more of the knowledge of albatrosses’ and petrels’ movements is what it’s hoped these new projects will achieve. For example, On Marion Island (South Africa) scientists from the British Antarctic Survey - in conjunction with the Percy FitzPatrick Institute and Marine and Coastal Management (South Africa) - are currently fitting Grey Petrels with satellite tags. "The results of this tracking study will help to collect the first at-sea distribution data for this Near Threatened seabird", added Ms Booker.
In total, three albatross and five petrel species in the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans will be tracked over the next two years. The species include Spectacled Petrel (Vulnerable), Sooty Albatross and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (both Endangered).
The birds will be tracked using satellite transmitters. These are attached to their backs using salt water–resistant cloth tape and send a signal, at intervals, to passing satellites. The satellites then work out the position of the transmitter and relay it to a ground station.
“Having gained a greater understanding of where the birds are most at risk, simple and cheap strategies - such as bird scaring devices on bait lines and setting lines when birds are least likely to be feeding - can greatly help to reduce bycatch”, noted Dr Ben Sullivan – BirdLife’s Global Seabird Programme Coordinator.
The first birds - Grey Petrel (Near Threatened) - are currently being tagged on Marion Island, part of South Africa's Cape of Good Hope Province in the southern Indian Ocean. “Determining the at-sea distribution of seabirds like Grey Petrel through tracking studies and the interaction with longline fisheries is crucial for their conservation”, added Dr Sullivan.
Teams of scientists are now gearing up for seabird tracking studies over the next two years.
