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BirdLife International held the first meeting of Albatross Task Force (ATF) Instructors in Coquimbo, Chile from 19-23 January 2009.  The report of the meeting is now available at http://www.birdlife.org/downloads/seabirds/ATF_first_Instructors_Workshop_Report_2009.pdf. 

Members of the ATF came together from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Namibia, South Africa and Uruguay.  The workshop was also attended by Dr Marco Favero, Chair of ACAP’s Advisory Committee, as well as by several experts in mitigation research.

Following presentations from each national ATF team and from the invited experts, and at-sea demonstrations of mitigation techniques, the workshop adopted the Coquimbo Declaration, which committed the ATF teams to undertake experimental mitigation research to reduce seabird mortality on longline and trawl fisheries during the course of 2009.  The results of this research is to be presented to ACAP at the Fifth Meeting of its Advisory Committee, planned to be held in Argentina in 2010.

Reference

BirdLife Global Seabird Programme 2009.  Proceedings of the Albatross Task Force 1st Instructors Workshop.  Sandy: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.  41 pp.

(also available at http://www.acap.aq/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=270&Itemid=58) 

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 June 2009