The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation high seas area where more stringent seabird management measures now apply, AFMA 2014.
New seabird management measures have been adopted by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Commission to better protect seabirds from fishing activities in the high seas.
Under the Conservation and Management Measure for minimising bycatch of seabirds in the SPFRMO Convention Area, fishing vessels in the SPRFMO high seas area will now be under a risk-based approach to seabird management with a focus on individual accountability. This means that the greater the risk a boat has of catching seabirds, the more management tools they must apply, such as line weighting and setting at night for hook fishing and using bird scaring lines when trawling. Individual responsibility encourages skipper and crew innovation and accountability for those boats with a higher risk of catching seabirds.
These measures will have minimal impact on Australian fishing boats given the low risk of interaction by Australian boats in this area (only three reported seabird interactions in the last ten years), proven by our high level of observer coverage.
AFMA is pleased that there will be more consistency with seabird management measures between Australian waters and the high seas.
The Secretariat to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), the worldwide independent body responsible for developing internationally recognised standards for seabird management, has also leant its support to Australia’s approach.
AFMA will continue to focus on improving data collection and reporting, particularly for some species of albatrosses and petrels, to better understand any potential bycatch of species of concern in SPRFMO fisheries. AFMA will also continue to work closely with the ACAP to further reduce seabird bycatch on the high seas.
For more information on implementation of the seabird measure, please contact Steve Shanks, Manager, Scallop, Small Pelagic, Coral Sea and Norfolk Island Fisheries on 02 6255 5388 or steve.shanks@afma.gov.au.