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The 9th Meeting of the Ecologically Related Species Working Group (ERSWG) of theCommission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) will be held in Tokyo, Japan over 27-30 March.  The Albatross and Petrel Agreement will be represented at the meeting by its Executive Secretary, Warren Papworth, who will present three papers (see below).

The CCSBT is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for the management of Southern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus maccoyii throughout its distribution.  Its objective is to ensure, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.  Members of the Extended Commission comprise Australia, the Fishing Entity of Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea and New Zealand.  Cooperating Non-Members comprise the Philippines, South Africa and the European Union.

Click here to access the agenda for the meeting that will, inter alia, discuss progress with seabird mitigation measures and "future analyses to obtain improved estimates of ERS mortality and estimates of uncertainty".  Annual reports from members are requested to include information on total numbers of seabirds incidentally caught by area and fleet and by species.

Click here to access the report of the 8th Meeting of the ERSWG, held in Busan, Korea in September 2009.

ACAP papers for the 9th ERSWG

1.      An Update on the Status and Trends of Albatrosses and Petrels listed under Annex 1 of the ACAP Agreement (Agenda item 5.1.1)

2.      Review of Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Measures for Pelagic Longline Fisheries (Agenda item 5.1.5)

3.      Minimum Data Requirements for Seabird Bycatch (Agenda item 6.1.1).

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 28 February 2012