Humane Society International. Humane Society International appreciates the opportunity the ACAP Parties have again provided to observe this important meeting. The SBWG has recommended significant amendment of the current ACAP best practice line weighting prescription and it is important that this AC accepts this recommended change in light of seabird bycatch mitigation revision that will occur soon across the tRFMO's. This decision here is crucial and timely to assist in the appropriate revision by xXXXX's. HSI urges the AC to recognise the necessity of line weighting, without which no alternate measures currently available deliver adequate seabird bycatch mitigation in longline fisheries although there are at least, now, one or two additional mitigation options that were considered by the SBWG. Whilst revision of current mitigation options is timely, the critical deficiency remains - lack of evidence that widespread uptake of measures is occurring. HSI would like to draw the AC's attention in particular to perhaps the current two most at-risk ACAP listed species, both shearwaters that do require additional specific consideration to assist the mitigation efforts in Chile and Spain for these species.
Humane Society International. HSI would like to thank Parties to the Agreement for the opportunity to participate in this meeting and also for individual and collective efforts so far especially to address fisheries impacts on albatrosses and petrels. We continue to be frustrated by the clear evidence that not enough is being done to halt the decline of many ACAP listed species. It was therefore a great disappointment that Parties failed to recognise the strategic potential of the line weighting precedence recommendation which was proposed at this meeting for greatly improving mitigation compliance and efficacy. It is essential to create new and better opportunities for ACAP engagement with other organisations and range states in order to ensure meaningful outcomes from seabird bycatch reduction efforts. There is perhaps no better way to help achieve the required reduction in bird deaths than for the ACAP Parties, to lead by example. Papers presented this year to the meeting highlight the risk that certain Parties domestic fisheries continue to pose to seabirds, despite IPOA implementation. This high catch of albatrosses and petrels must end. New bycatch performance reporting by the ACAP Parties should serve to encourage greater effort in bird catch reduction nationally as well as internationally. HSI encourages Parties to further strengthen their considerable efforts in mitigation and compliance monitoring, and focus on reversing the downward spiral of population trends put before this meeting. Let the urgency of this be driven by the example of the Antipodean albatross (our 'canary in the coalmine') predicted to be extinct in 20 years! Let's not be responsible for having done too little too late. Projeto Albatroz Projeto Albatroz thanks for the opportunity and clarify that it was created in 1990 with the purpose to reduce the bycatch of albatrosses and petrels in national fisheries. It develops conservation work in partnership with the government, fishermen and fishing companies and its main line of action are the development of research, to support public policies, and awareness in fishery sector and primary education. Projeto Albatroz is sponsorship by Petrobras, through the Petrobras Environmental Program, and is supported by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Albatross Task Force Programme (ATF) of Birdlife International and Save Brasil. In order to reduce by-catches to a minimal level, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Aquaculture and F...
Humane Society International. (HSI) Australia appreciated the opportunity provided by the ACAP parties to participate as an Observer at AC7, and thanked this year’s meeting host country, France. HSI was particularly concerned about the fisheries bycatch of the ACAP-listed seabird species and continues to attend ACAP in order to try to accelerate the widespread implementation of effective mitigation measures. HSI noted that this is the third consecutive ACAP meeting at which HSI has urged Members to make mandatory the appropriate line weighting requirements for seabird bycatch mitigation in all longline fisheries, irrespective of additional mitigation measures. Evidence to assist Members to support such action can be found in meeting documents SBWG5 31, 33 and 49. HSI also indicated that a gulf exists between the recent adoption by virtually all tRFMOs of effective mitigation measures on paper and the demonstrated uptake and proven at- sea performance of these measures. This shortfall must be addressed. HSI also noted that for trawl fisheries that also cause seabird mortalities, there is a need to identify mitigation measures that are dependable. Incorporating certain features into the construction of new ships can solve many bycatch problems in both trawl and longline fisheries, but this is a neglected aspect of bycatch mitigation efforts.
