Seabird Conservation in fisheries: current state of knowledge and conservation needs for Argentine high seas fleets

Abstract

Interactions between pelagic seabirds (albatrosses and petrels, Procellariiformes) and fisheries occur in all oceans of the globe, virtually in all fisheries, and are dominated by the effect of fishing on birds. Despite the fact that provisioning of fishery discards and offal to birds can be viewed as beneficial, incidental mortality in fisheries is by far the main at-sea threat albatrosses and petrels are facing nowadays, and certainly the main cause of declinations in populations recorded in modern days. This chapter offers an overview of interactions between pelagic seabirds and high-seas Argentine fishing fleets, including longliners, trawlers and jiggers. The first section of this review looks into the nature of interactions between seabirds and fisheries, particularly in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. The second section seeks to define the fishing effort of the different fleets operating in national waters providing a summary of extant fishery regulations and management measures related to the main target species, the Argentine hake Merluccius hubbsi. The third section explores available information regarding conservation status and use of marine space by seabirds attending and interacting with a number of high-seas fisheries, including bycatch levels and mitigation measures, as well as issues dealing with the implementation and compliance of conservation and management measures. The fourth section provides insight into the use of fishery discards and offal by non-breeding pelagic seabirds attending vessels, taking the Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris as a case study. Finally, the fifth section reviews the up-to-date scientific, legal, and political actions taken to protect seabirds in Argentine waters, referring to possible steps for implementing an ecosystem approach to national fisheries within the frame of Argentina‘s National Plan of Action – Seabirds.