Archived News

The Kobe II Bycatch Workshop (K2B) will be held in Brisbane, Australia from 23-25 June 2010.

The meeting is being co-hosted by the USA and the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).

The aims of the workshop are to:

•· provide advice to tuna RFMOS [Regional Fishery Management Organisations] on best practices, methods and techniques to assess and reduce the incidental mortality of non-target species, such as seabirds, turtles, sharks, marine mammals, and of juveniles of target species";

•· develop and coordinate relevant research programmes and observer programmes; and

•· make recommendations on mechanisms to streamline the work of the tuna RFMO Working Groups in this field in order to avoid duplication.

ACAP will be represented at the workshop by its Executive Secretary, Warren Papworth and has submitted an invited discussion paper setting out its view of how tuna RFMOs can best assess and improve mitigation of bycatch by cooperation and coordination, including by the development and adoption of Memoranda of Understanding.

In addition ACAP will present a joint paper with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) entitled "Methods to address bycatch within tuna fisheries. Examination of available tools and measures to reduce bycatch by the Tuna RFMOs". This paper is being produced and presented by Barry Baker, Coordinator of the ACAP Advisory Committee's Seabird Bycatch Working Group (SBWG) and CMS Appointed Councillor (Bycatch).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 9 June 2010