Campaign progress

August 2008

The latest edition of Sea Change, the newsletter of the Global Seabird Programme, is available to download (PDF, 700 kb)

June 2008

Brazil ratified the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), a multi-country agreement which seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels by co-ordinating international activity to reduce known threats to those bird populations.

Brazilian waters are important areas for albatrosses, containing 38 % of albatross species. These waters pose a threat to these albatrosses from the longline fishing industry, with many albatrosses being killed.

Brazil joined joining 11 other countries, including the UK and Australia. It will mean that these countries will take positive steps within their fisheries to reduce seabird deaths during fishing operations. It is a very significant step which has come about thanks to continual efforts by BirdLife International organisations.

March 2008

The BirdLife Global Seabird Programme goes to Madrid to input into the seabird assessment for the Atlantic tuna commission (ICCAT). This assessment will identify the high risk areas for seabird bycatch by tuna and swordfish vessels in the Atlantic, and the impact that these fleets are having on seabird populations

Also in March, the Albatross Task Force started work in Namibia with the Namibian Nature Foundation, where two instructors will be working both with the pelagic longline fleet and with the trawl fishery. Currently, seabird bycatch data from Namibia is almost non-existent and the work of the instructors with the fishers of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund will provide new insights on seabird conservation issues in the area.

The 2007 Albatross Task Force Annual Report is available to download (PDF, 905 kb)

February 2008

The New Zealand Fisheries Minister announces strengthened measures for reducing seabird bycatch in New Zealand longline and trawl fisheries, following a number of serious seabird bycatch events, and work by the Royal Forest and Bird Society (New Zealand BirdLife Partner), helped by letter writers from the RSPB (UK BirdLife Partner).

Bottom longline fisheries will now be required to use a bird streamer line, to set lines at night or use line weighting, and to avoid releasing offal during line setting.

Also in February, the annual report of the Albatross Task Force is published, highlighting key achievements and successes in the last 12 months and identifying goals for the future.

January 2008

The Albatross Task Force began work in Argentina, led by Fabian Rabuffetti of Aves Argentinas and have employed Leandro Tamini. Their work will particularly focus on identifying the impact of the expansive trawl fisheries on seabird populations foraging in one of the world's largest continental shelf areas.

The waters off Argentina are of great importance to foraging albatross and petrels throughout the year and the work of Fabian and Leandro will be key for our understanding and development of conservation strategies in this zone.

December 2007

The largest tuna commission in the world, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, strengthened its seabird bycatch measure by adopting minimum technical specifications for its seabird bycatch mitigation requirements.

The Albatross Task Force began work in Uruguay with local NGO Aves Uruguay and the Proyecto de Albatros y Petreles. The team is led by Andres Domingo and has employed two instructors, Sebastian Jimenez and Martin Abreu to work with the pelagic longline fishery.

Uruguay is an area with some of the highest seabird bycatch rates in the world and will prove a vital addition to the Task Force, especially for juvenile albatross during their winter foraging trips and the great albatross, which appear to be effected heavily in these waters.

November 2007

The Atlantic tuna commission (ICCAT) passed a measure which requires all tuna vessels to use a tori line when fishing in the Atlantic south of 20 degrees south, and requires all swordfish vessels to set lines at night and use line weights.

These measures will help the declining albatross populations on UK Overseas Territories of South Georgia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Tristan da Cunha.

BirdLife has been working with the Atlantic tuna commission since 2005. The measure represents a good step forward, but BirdLife and other ICCAT members hope the measures will be further strengthened in November 2008, when the ICCAT seabird assessment is complete, something that BirdLife is working on in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Australian research group, CSIRO.

Also in November, scientists in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission recommend that the IOTC seabird measure is strengthened. BirdLife has been working with IOTC to address seabird bycatch since 2005.

October 2007

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme funding for a series of experimental mitigation trials to develop new mitigation measures to reduce bycatch of albatrosses and petrels. These trials will take place through the Albatross Task Force in South Africa, Brazil and Chile, and will include testing measures for safer line weights and a new bait pod, which is designed to keep hooks away from seabirds and turtles. Data from these trials will enhance the uptake of seabird bycatch mitigation measures by fishermen and fishery managers.

September 2007

The success of the Albatross Task Force and its projected expansion into Argentina, Uruguay and Namibia in the coming months has created the need for a dedicated Task Force co-ordinator. Oli Yates, an expatriate living in Chile, has been contracted to take up this post.

August 2007

Throughout June, July and August representatives of the Save the Albatross Campaign attended the Scientific Committee meetings of four of the major tuna commissions. This allows us to directly influence the seabird mitigation measures used in these fisheries through the teams advocacy work.

July 2007

The Save The Albatross Campaign featured prominently in the BBC's series Saving Planet Earth. A programme in the series was dedicated to the plight of the Falklands black-browed albatross and heavily featured the work of the Albatross Task Force in Brazil. Funds raised by the series will be ploughed back into the project.

June 2007

The Australian and Tasmanian governments have agreed funding to eradicate rabbits, rats and mice from Macquarie Island. There are currently over 100,000 rabbits on the World Heritage site, causing erosion and loss of habitat, and endangering the small remaining populations of albatross such as the grey-headed albatross.

June saw the launch of The Albatross Task Force (ATF) in Chile. We now have three very experienced team members (one full time and two part time) working with Chilean fishermen to reduce seabird mortality in their fisheries. While in South America, Ben Sullivan met with BirdLife partners from Argentina and Uruguay to facilitate the expansion of the ATF into these countries.

May 2007

BirdLife South Africa and WWF South Africa have released a report that for the first time assesses the impact of longline fishing on vulnerable species foraging in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, a rich and biodiverse ecosystem that stretches up the west coast of South Africa and the entire of the Namibian and Angolan coasts.

The report estimates that as many as 34,000 seabirds, 4,200 sea turtles, and over 7 million demersal and pelagic sharks, rays and skates are killed annually. The full report is available online from BirdLife South Africa.

The RSPB has produced a report highlighting the need for the European Community to develop a Community Plan of Action to reduce seabird bycatch in its longline fisheries. Such a plan has been requested by a numerous international organisations, and the EC itself has committed to producing it, but has consistently missed its own deadlines.

April 2007

The Global Seabird Programme welcomes a new staff member, Andy Black, who has over 10 years’ experience working with fisheries in the South Atlantic.

March 2007

At the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) biennial Committee on Fisheries meeting, BirdLife - with backing from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the USA - secured support for the development of 'best-practice guidelines' to help reduce seabird bycatch. This will assist countries to produce national plans of action to reduce seabird bycatch in their fisheries.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme funds for a two-year project to reduce seabird bycatch in the Pacific. The project will work with the tuna management organisations in the region to address and reduce impacts on populations of albatrosses and petrels and other species.

February 2007

The Atlantic Tuna Commission met to start its assessment of the impact of its fisheries on albatross and petrel populations in the South Atlantic. BirdLife partners are providing key input to this assessment, and the Albatross Task Force members in South Africa and Brazil are be providing vital data.

December 2006

The New Zealand government is considering imposing a temporary ban on surface long-line fishing at the Kermadec Islands after a fishing vessel was reported to have killed 51 albatrosses in a single trip.

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, which manages an area covering 46% of the world's albatross distribution, has established requirements for its longline vessels to use at least two seabird bycatch mitigation measures in areas below 30 degrees south in the Pacific, where there is high risk of albatross bycatch. The requirement will also apply to large vessels fishing in the North Pacific.

The BirdLife Global Seabird Programme, hosted by the RSPB, played a key role in this success, having provided scientific input and analysis over the last 18 months, and worked closely with delegations from the US, New Zealand and Australia.

November 2006

The UK Government announced on 13 November that it will be providing additional total funding of £65,000 to deliver projects that will promote the conservation of seriously endangered species of albatrosses and petrels in overseas UK territories.

November 2006

On 7 November, in an exclusive interview for TVE's Earth Report series, HRH The Prince of Wales made a passionate call for a worldwide effort to save the world's endangered albatrosses from extinction.

September 2006

The Brazilian Albatross Task Force is set up and its two founding members - Fabiano Peppes and Antonio Miguel Migueis - get to work speaking to fishermen on shore and out at sea.

September 2006

The Albatross Task Force Team in South Africa welcomes its third member - Barry Watkins.

May 2006

The Albatross Task Force conducts its first workshop for fisheries managers and fishing license providers, as well as skippers and crew of longliners. The workshop was to share results of research conducted on longliners to minimise albatross bycatch.

June 2006

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) has adopted a requirement for all its longline fishing vessels to use a tori line when fishing south of 30 degrees south. The BirdLife Global Seabird Programme has been working with IOTC since 2005 to provide information on seabird distribution and bycatch in the southern Indian Ocean.

April 2006

The first at-sea trip for the Albatross Task Force.

April 2006

New data released from the Falkland Islands shows that populations of black-browed albatross are still decreasing. However, mitigation measures adopted by fleets fishing in Falklands waters have prevented the decline from being more serious. Black-browed albatross frequently travel to South America to feed, and it is in these waters they are being impacted by longlining.

Fortunately, two Albatross Task Force members are being recruited in Brazil and should be starting work by the end of May. We also hope that there will be two additional members in Chile by the end of 2006. All good news for our UK overseas albatross family.

March 2006

BirdLife South Africa employs its first two Albatross Task Force members!

March 2006

The Albatross Task Force conducts its first workshop for fisheries managers and fishing license providers, as well as skippers and crew of longliners. The workshop was to share results of research conducted on longliners to minimise albatross bycatch.

February 2006

The campaign is supported by the 6 skippers of the Volvo Ocean Race, as they sign giant postcards to be delivered to embassies of nations who are home to breeding albatross, or whose fisheries operate in albatross foraging grounds.

February 2006

New Zealand announces that it will close one-third of its territorial waters to the destructive practice of deep-sea trawling. Seabirds, including albatrosses are often victims of trawlers, due to collisions with the lines that drag the nets. Work is being carried out by Falklands Conservation to devise bird-scaring lines, similar to those used on longliners, to deter birds away from the dangers.

February 2006

BirdLife’s Taiwan partner is to be on the panel of judges of the International Smart Gear Competition, sponsored by WWF to find new ways to avoid accidental capture of seabirds, turtles and marine mammals.

February 2006

Three species of endangered albatrosses will gain new protection with the introduction of new conservation laws designed to protect the unique wildlife of the Tristan da Cunha islands in the South Atlantic. It is hoped that this will pave the way towards Tristan signing the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP).

January 2006

Six MP’s present an Early Day Motion in Parliament, regarding Protecting the Albatross and they commend BirdLife International and the RSPB for its Save the Albatross Campaign and the attention it is bringing to the issues.

January 2006

The campaign recruits a South American Co-ordinator to work with fisheries managers, industry and government in South American countries important for albatross conservation.

December 2005

The United Nations adopts a resolution urging the implantation of measures recommended in the International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline fisheries.

November 2005

The Volvo Ocean Race arrives in Cape Town, South Africa. Research released at this time reveals that high numbers of albatross are being accidentally caught by longline fishers in South Africa’s waters. Interest generated by this news results in over 20 race participants and journalists taking a boat trip to witness albatrosses at sea.

7 October 2005

The Volvo Ocean Race adopts the Save the Albatross campaign. Ericsson skipper Neal McDonald says, 'You think you're on your own, then you realise you are playing in someone else's playground. Albatrosses are the ultimate ocean wanderers. We must save these magnificent birds from extinction'.

June 2005

France ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

May 2005

Peru ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

April 2005

Two months after completing her record-breaking, solo round-the-world voyage, yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur lends her support to the RSPB's launch of plans for Albatross Task Force calling the albatross 'one of the most amazing birds in existence'.

November 2004

BirdLife International releases a scientific report, Tracking Ocean Wanderers. It containing 90% of the world's satellite tracking data for albatrosses and petrels, highlighting important albatross migration routes, foraging areas and regions where the birds are most at risk.

August 2004

BirdLife Global Seabird Programme headquarters moves to the RSPB, with the appointment of a dedicated co-ordinator and scientific officer.

June 2004

John and Marie Christine Ridgway, together with Euan Dunn and BirdLife staff, visit the United Nations in Rome to present 105,000 signatures from 131 countries, in support of the petition urging governments to back the UN Plan of Action to stop pirate fishing.

April 2004

After intense lobbying by the RSPB the UK finally signs the ACAP treaty.

1 February 2004

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) comes into force.

November 2003

South Africa ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

August 2003

Spain ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

July 2003

British adventurer John Ridgway and his wife Marie-Christine, embark on epic round the world voyage to highlight the plight of the albatross and the scourge of pirate fishing. They call on supporters to sign a petition hosted by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society (BirdLife partner) urging governments to back the UN International Plan on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing.

June 2003

British adventurers John and Marie Christine Ridgway and Nick Grainger, from Australia, embark on epic round-world voyage to highlight the plight of the albatross and the scourge of pirate fishing. Together with Igor Asheshov from Peru and BirdLife volunteers on each Southern Ocean Leg, they call on supporters to sign a petition hosted by Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society (NZ BirdLife partner), urging governments to back the UN International Plan on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing.

February 2003

Ecuador ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

2003

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) says numbers of six albatross species have declined since the previous evaluation three years earlier, putting them at increased risk of extinction.

January 2002

HRH Prince Charles gives his formal endorsement to the Save the Albatross campaign at a reception in St James Palace.

November 2001

New Zealand ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

October 2001

Australia ratifies the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

2000-2001

BirdLife influences a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation International Plan of Action on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing; the plan is adopted in 2001.

August 2000

BirdLife International's Save the Albatross campaign is launched at the British Birdwatching Fair.

1999-2005

BirdLife helps to shape the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species. This agreement requires countries to take specific measures to boost the protection of albatrosses and petrels. It is opened for signature in June 2001.

1999

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation International Plan of Action to Reduce Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries is developed with major technical input from BirdLife and then adopted in 2001.

1997

BirdLife Global Seabird Programme established, with headquarters in South Africa

1996

Longline fisheries operating in Antarctic waters are required to use a range of measures to reduce seabird deaths - the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

1991

The scale of albatross death on longlines is identified as a major problem.