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The International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds) was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1998. The plan encourages all FAO member countries to implement their own National Plans of Action (NPOA-Seabirds). In terms of the IPOA-Seabirds, countries first assess the seabird by-catch problem within their fisheries and/or within their coastal waters. If a bycatch problem is found to exist, each country should then develop and implement its own National Plan of Action (NPOA-Seabirds), based on the recommendations listed in the IPOA-Seabirds.
A list of the latest versions of formally adopted NPOA-Seabirds and of equivalent and related documents follows.
Reference:
Good, S.D., Baker, G.B., Gummery, M., Votier, S.C. & Phillips, R.A. 2020. National Plans of Action (NPOAs) for reducing seabird bycatch: developing best practice for assessing and managing fisheries impacts. Biological Conservation Vol. 247. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108592.
FAO Documents
Brothers, N.P., Cooper, J. & Løkkeborg, S. 1999. The Incidental Catch of Seabirds by Longline Fisheries: Worldwide Review and Technical Guidelines for Mitigation. FAO Fisheries Circular No. 937. 101 pp.
FAO 1999. International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 26 pp.
Løkkeborg, S. & Thiele, W. 2004. Report of the FAO/Birdlife South American Workshop on Implementation of NPOA–Seabirds and Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Valdivia, Chile, 2–6 December 2003. FAO Fisheries Report No. 751. 32 pp.
FAO 2008. Report of the Expert Consultation on Best Practice Technical Guidelines for IPOA/NPOA–Seabirds Bergen, Norway, 2–5 September 2008. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 880. 37 pp.
FAO 2009. Best Practices to Reduce Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Capture Fisheries. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 49 pp.
FAO. 2014. Progress in the Implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and Related Instruments. Committee on Fisheries (COFI) 31st Session. Rome: FAO. COFI/2014/Inf.15/Rev.1.
Argentina
Consejo Federal Pesquero 2010. Plan Nacional Para Reducir la Interacción de Aves con Pesquerías en la República Argentina 2010 [+ supplementary information 2012-2019]. 139 pp.
Australia
Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2018. National Plan of Action for Minimising Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Australian Capture Fisheries. Canberra: Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. 42 pp.
Commonwealth of Australia, 2018. Threat Abatement Plan for the Incidental Catch (or Bycatch) of Seabirds during Oceanic Longline Fishing Operations (2018). Canberra: Department of the Environment and Energy. 25 pp.
Brazil
Neves, T., Olmos, F., Peppes, F. & Mohr, L.V. 2006. National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (NPOA-Seabirds Brazil). Threatened Species Series No. 2. Brasilia: Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Renewable Resources. 122 pp.
ICMBio 2018. Plano de Ação Nacional para a Conservação dos Albatrozes e Petréis - PLANACAP 2018-2023. Brasilia: Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - ICMBio/MMA. 17 pp.
Canada
Government of Canada 2007. National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. Ottawa: Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 29 pp.
Government of Canada 2007. Plan D'action National Visant à Réduire la Capture Accidentelle d'Oiseaux de Mer par les Palangriers. Ottawa: Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 32 pp.
[Government of Canada] 2012. Canada’s Progress Report on the Implementation of Key Actions Taken Pursuant to the National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (March 2007). Ottawa: Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 19 pp.
[Government of Canada] 2012. Rapport d'étape du Canada sur la mise en oeuvre des mesures clés prises en vertu du Plan d'action national visant a réduire la capture accidentelle d'oiseaux de mer par les palangriers (mars 2007). Ottawa: Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 20 pp.
Chile
[Chile 2007]. Plan de Acción Nacional de Chile para mitigar efectos de la pesca de palangre sobre Aves Marinas (PAN-AM) (FIP 2003-21: Informe Final). Fondo Investagacion Pesquera & Universidad de Austral de Chile. 132 pp.
Chinese Taipei
Fisheries Agency 2014. Taiwan’s National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Tuna Longline Fisheries. Kaohsiung City: Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture. 132 pp.
European Union
European Commission 2012. Action Plan for Reducing Incidental Catches of Seabirds in Fishing Gears. Brussels: European Conmmission 16 pp.
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)*
Janzen, K., Wolfaardt, A.[C.], Barton, J., Pompert, J. & Brickle, P. 2011. Falkland Islands National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries 2011-2015 an Update. Stanley: Falkland Islands Government. 26 pp. [not available on-line, contact
Kuepfer, A., Crofts, S., Tierney, M., Blake, D. & Goyot, L. 2018. Falkland Islands National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Trawl Fisheries, 2019 (FI NPOA-S-T-2019). Stanley: Fisheries Department, Directorate of Natural Resources, Falkland Islands Government. 42 pp.
France
Government of France 2019. Plan national d’actions pour l’albatros d’Amsterdam Diomedea amsterdamensis 2018-2027. Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire. 135 pp.
Indonesia
MMAF 2016. National Plan of Action Seabirds Mitigation Measures in Indonesian Tuna Longline Fisheries. Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia. 30 pp.
Japan
[Fisheries Agency] 2009. Japan's National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries Revised Version. Fisheries Agency, Government of Japan. 8 pp.
Korea (Republic of)
Republic of Korea 2014. National Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. [Sejong]: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. 23 pp.
New Zealand
[Fisheries New Zealand] 2020. National Plan of Action - Seabirds 2020. Reducing the Incidental Mortality of Seabirds in Fisheries. Wellington: Fisheries New Zealand. 21 pp.
South Africa
[Cooper, J., Petersen, S. & Ryan, P.G.] 2008. South African National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism. 32 pp.
South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur)*
Varty, N., Sullivan, B. & Black, A. 2008. FAO International Plan of Action-Seabirds: an Assessment for Fisheries operating in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. Sandy: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 96 pp.
United States of America
National Marine Fisheries Service 2001. Final United States National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. Silver Spring: National Marine Fisheries Service. 126 pp.
NOAA Fisheries 2014. Implementation of the U.S. National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries 2014. [Silver Spring: NOAA Fisheries] 20 pp.
Uruguay
Jiménez, S., Pin, O. & Domingo, A. 2015. Plan de Acción Nacional para Reducir la Captura Incidental de Aves Marinas en las Pesquerías Uruguayas, 2015. In: Domingo, A., Forselledo, R. & Jiménez, S. (Eds). Revisión de Planes de Acción Nacional para la Conservación de Aves Marinas y Condrictios en las Pesquerías Uruguayas, 2015. Montevideo: Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos. pp. 11-79.
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Note: Namibia has produced the text of a NPOA-Seabirds which awaits formal adoption. The country has promulgated regulations to reduce the incidental by-catch of seabirds in the Namibian hake demersal trawl (No. 269) and hake demersal longline (No. 270) fisheries, published in the Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia No. 5877 of 19 November 2015.
Last updated 26 October 2020
*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.