At the first meeting of the Joint Tuna RFMO Technical Working Group on Bycatch in July 2011, ACAP offered to develop a standardised seabird identification guide to assist with the harmonisation of data collection across the RFMOs (Regional Fishery Management Organizations).  Working with the Japanese National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries in March 2015 the ACAP Secretariat produced a photo identification guide for use by observers at sea.  Following some initial feedback, an updated version was produced in August 2015 in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.  The guide was also translated into Korean and Japanese, but the publication of these versions has stalled due to the time and resources required to incorporate updates suggested by experts during the editing process.

The ID Guide is available from the ACAP website and the Secretariat has distributed printed copies at relevant fora in the past four years.  The guide has been very positively received in the RFMO and seabird conservation communities, and helpful feedback from users and seabird experts has been provided to the Secretariat on ways to improve it in the future.

The ID Guide was intended to also be used as a basis for adapting or developing regionally specific ID materials. This has already been the case with some ACAP Parties and range states taking advantage of this freely available resource.  However, in order for the ID Guide to remain relevant for this purpose, and remain useful in its own right, it now needs to be revised and re-issued.

ACAP’s 2016-2018 Advisory Committee Work Programme (Task 5.15) calls for the update of the seabird bycatch ID guide, allocating core funding for the tasking of an intern/secondee to undertake the work, plus costs associated to translation, graphic design and printing. Consequently, the ACAP Secretariat has organised an internship in collaboration with agencies and organisations in New Zealand, tasking Cristián Suazo of Albatross Task Force Chile to undertake the work.  Cristian will work with experts in Australia and New Zealand to update the ID Guide, starting next month.  He has already started off by making an online call for pictures of live and dead seabirds with an emphasis on the 31 species of ACAP-listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters for the updated guide to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (click here).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 06 August 2018

Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge is seeking an individual who will play a leadership role in designing (2018) and constructing (2019) a 900-m cattle- and rabbit-proof fence to protect a globally Vulnerable Pink-footed Shearwater Ardenna creatopus colony on Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile.

The fence project will be a significant contribution to wildlife conservation because it must overcome challenges shared by many remote locations that include (1) no car or helicopter access (only by foot or donkey), (2) no on-site water source, (3) no electricity, (4) severe seasonal weather conditions (routinely exposed to hurricane force winds), and (5) affordability.

Requirements include:

• • Demonstrated experience managing cattle- and rabbit-proof fence projects in remote areas.
• • Knowledge of wildlife conservation and threats from introduced species.
• • Ability to research and connect with world-wide experts on exclusion fences.
• • Good communication skills working in a virtual community via email and Skype.
• • Team-management skills, including the ability to motivate, lead, set objectives and manage performance of people with variable experience.
• • Experience overseeing the quality of vendors and subcontractors.
• • Fluency in English and Spanish, both written and verbal, is preferred.
• • Professional communications with partners, government, and residents.

Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge is a non-profit organization in the U.S. and Chile with the mission to study and protect imperilled ecosystems by engaging diverse communities in innovative scientific and artistic collaborations. The non-profit organization was established in 2001 and has led over 100 collaborative projects throughout the Pacific with expertise in community-based conservation, habitat restoration, ecosystem research, conservation tool development, and education.

Applicants or contractors should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Chile Program Manager.

Pink-footed Shearwater, photograph by Jonathan Felis

Read more details here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 August 2018

Graham Robertson (Kingston, Tasmania, Australia) and colleagues have published in the journal Biological Conservation on how underwater setting can improve the conservation status of fisheries-affected seabirds.

The paper’s abstract follows:

For many decades pelagic longline fisheries have been responsible for the deaths of large numbers of seabirds worldwide. Baited hooks deployed onto the sea surface attract seabirds to fishing vessels leading to attacks on baits, capture and death by drowning. An alternative is to deploy baits underwater where they are less detectable, more difficult to reach and less likely to be taken by seabirds. In 2010 and 2012 proof-of-concept experiments were conducted in the Uruguayan pelagic longline fishery with a newly developed device designed to set baits underwater. The experiments examined the differences between setting baits at the sea surface and setting baits underwater with regard to the abundances of seabirds following the vessel, incidences of attacks on baits and mortality. Underwater setting led to marked reductions in the numbers of seabirds following the fishing vessel and attacks on baits, the behavioural precursors to mortality. Mortality rates of seabirds on baits set to the relatively shallow depth of 4 m were 87% lower than on baits set at the surface. No seabirds were caught on baits released 10 m underwater, a reduction of 100% compared to the surface setting mortality of 11.6 birds/1000 hooks. No differences were detected between the two setting methods in the catch rates of target and non-target fish species. The evidence from the experiments, combined with the known dive depths of the white-chinned petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis), a deep diving, difficult-to-deter species, suggests that baits released 10 m underwater could reduce the incidental mortality of albatrosses and petrels to negligible levels”.

Solving the problem underwater?  A hooked White-chinned Petrel, photograph by Nicolas Gasco

Robertson, G., Ashworth, Phillip, Ashworth, Peter, Carlyle, I., Jiménez, S., Forselledo, R., Domingo, A. & Candy, S.G. 2018.  Setting baited hooks by stealth (underwater) can prevent the incidental mortality of albatrosses and petrels in pelagic longline fisheries.  Biological Conservation 225: 134-143.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 02 August 2018

The Albatross and Petrel Agreement develops advice and guidance to mitigate threats to albatrosses and petrels on land and at sea, including best-practice advice for reducing the impact of pelagic longline fisheries on seabirds.  Branch-line weighting is an effective strategy for reducing seabird bycatch, and is one of the mitigation measures recommended by the Agreement.

When a bite off or tear out occurs during the recovery of the line, some flyback events may have the potential to cause injury to crew involved in hauling the catch.  ACAP recognises the importance of improving safety in pelagic longline fisheries, and in response to safety concerns about flyback events, the Agreement commissioned the Australian Maritime College to undertake independent research examining the potential hazard posed by flyback events to crew members.  The analysis conducted identifies technologies and techniques that may be implemented to avoid or mitigate this workplace hazard.

After three years of investigations and two comprehensive technical reports, ACAP is in the process of producing its advice on improving safety when hauling branch lines during pelagic longline fishing operations.  To that end, a winter internship at the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) was undertaken by James Johnston, as part of his Bachelor of Environmental Policy and Management studies at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. In helping to prepare the proposed advice for ACAP, James spent most of his time working at the AAD under the supervision of Australia’s ACAP National Contact Point, Mr. Jonathon Barrington. He also spent some time working with the ACAP Secretariat. His valuable contribution will be submitted as a working paper to the next meeting of the ACAP Seabird Bycatch Working Group (SBWG9) in May 2019 in Florianópolis, Brazil.

Jonathon Barrington (left) and James Johnston (right) working at the ACAP Secretariat on 26 July

Marco Favero, ACAP Executive Secretary, 01 August 2018