A diagram of the underwater setter from the report

A report prepared by Vita Maris for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation on techniques to increase the sink rates of hooks in underwater line setting devices has been released by the Conservation Services Program. 

The Summary as follows: 

“The introduction of mitigation standards for demersal longliners and subsequent changes to regulations require a hook depth of five metres at the end of the tori line aerial extent, which likely requires substantial changes to gear configuration and setting speed for some of the fleet (Goad & Olsen, 2022). Underwater setting has the potential to increase sink rates and reduce risk to birds. It is particularly relevant to meeting the latest regulations, whilst maintaining flexibility of gear configuration for fishers. It also has the potential to meet the 10 m depth at the end of tori line mitigation standard.

The manual baiting demersal longline fleet in New Zealand clip on pre-baited hooks with short branchlines (or snoods, typically 0.6 m length) to a stoppered mainline relatively quickly (Goad et al., 2010). Therefore, in order to set demersal longlines underwater, both the hook and the mainline have to be deployed at depth and a downward force must be applied to the mainline in order to achieve sufficient depth. The underwater setter described in this report uses a guide towed behind the vessel at depth to force the mainline underwater.

Four trips were undertaken with the setter deployed for a portion of a set each trip. In total, 3,300 hooks were deployed through the setter. Squid bait was very robust and least susceptible to damage. Barracouta baits varied in quality with ‘flaky’ fillets susceptible to loosing bits of muscle tissue furthest from the hook. Pilchard baits were trialled on the first trip and due to high loss rates were not used on subsequent trips. At present the setter can deploy tougher baits at depth with reasonable retention rates at speeds up to approximately five knots with line tension set slightly higher than a free-wheeling drum. Weight spacing does not appear to affect setter performance however weights and weight-float combinations need to be heavy enough to sink in front of the setter rather than falling behind it. Adjustment of line tension and setter configuration (depth and distance behind the vessel) has the potential to reduce bait loss and damage.

Recommendations are to continue trials of the underwater setter during commercial fishing operations to collect catch rate comparison data. It is also recommended to continue developing the underwater setter design to minimise bait damage and loss for more fragile bait types.”

Reference:

Goad, D., Kiddle, B. 2023. Underwater line setter development. MIT2021-03a final report prepared by Vita Maris for Department of Conservation. 22 p. 

09 October 2023

One of the 33: Manaaki, the 2022/23 Royal Cam chick, photograph by Sharyn Broni, Department of Conservation

All 33 chicks raised this season in New Zealand’s mainland colony of globally Endangered and Nationally Vulnerable Northern Royal Albatrosses Diomedea sanfordi at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head have now fledged from the headland and have begun life at sea for the next few years. All 33 chicks were uniquely colour banded.

One of the chicks to fledge was Manaaki, the 2022/23 Royal Cam chick; a male which received its bands on World Albatross Day on 19 June. Previously, the highest number of chicks fledging was from the 2020/2021 season with 30 chicks.  Watch a video of a 2022/23 chick close to fledging by  Laura Findlay here.

Chocks away! A 2022/23 chick is about to fledge from Taiaroa Head

Meanwhile, birds of the new 2023/24 season have started arriving in the colony; eggs will be laid over November/December.  The Northern Royal Albatross is a biennially breeding species, as are all six great albatross species in the genus Diomedea, with essentially two cohorts breeding in alternate years.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 October 2023

Southern Giant Petrels nesting at Harmony Point, Nelson Island in maritime Antarctica; photograph by Julia Finger. Giant petrels were identified in the risk assessment published by the SCAR Antarctic Wildlife Health Network (AWHN) as at risk of becoming infected by HPAI, and transporting the virus.

Protocols and guidance documents for H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have been released by the Governments of the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas* (FIG) and South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands/Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur* (GSGSSI).

There were no reports of HPAI over the 2022/2023 season, however, with wide-spread outbreaks occurring across South America this year, there is increased concern the virus will arrive in the region in the 2023/2024 season. 

The Falkland Islands’ Avian influenza Guidance Booklet and the Government of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands’ Biosecurity Handbook provide detailed information on HPAI for a range of stakeholders. Such information includes, signs and symptoms, assessing the risk of HPAI and detecting its presence, reporting requirements, biosecurity procedures, and more.

The documents are available here:

• South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur*: https://www.gov.gs/biosecurity-handbook-update-released/ and here: https://www.gov.gs/docsarchive/environment/#tab-3)
• Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas*: https://falklands.gov.fk/agriculture/avian-influenza 

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), the Committee for Environment Protection (CEP) and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) stated on the SCAR website of their “[concern] about the heightened risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in Antarctica in the 2023/24 season and the devastating impacts it could have on the region’s unique wildlife.” 

The SCAR Antarctic Wildlife Health Network (AWHN) also published a paper, Biological Risk Assessment of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the Southern Ocean, describing this deepening threat. 

ACAP’s Co-convenor of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels’ Population and Conservation Status Working Group (PaCSWG) and Environmental Analyst for Brazil’s National Centre for Research and Conservation of Wild Birds, Patricia Serafini, has co-authored a set of guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during an outbreak of HPAI which are available to download at the ACAP website under Conservation Guidelines.

04 October 2023

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.

ACAP Parties, Ecuador and Brazil, have both signed the BBNJ Agreement. Pictured (left - right) H.E. Mr. Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of the Republic of Ecuador and H.E. Mr. Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil

More than 70 nations including nine ACAP Parties have signed the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. 

The treaty also known as the agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction or 'BBNJ', opened for signature on Wednesday 20 September at the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York. 

The BBNJ, which covers the near two-thirds of the ocean lying outside national boundaries, is a legally binding instrument aiming to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. 

It provides a legal framework for governing the vast areas of waters beyond national boundaries by incorporating a number of mechanisms to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ. These include, provisions on marine genetic resources, environmental impact assessments, the creation of marine protected areas, and more.

ACAP Parties, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom have signed the BBNJ. The full list of signatories can be found at the UN site for the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, here.

The BBNJ will remain open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York until 20 September 2025 and requires 60 ratifications to enter into force.

02 October 2023