Fine scale seabird foraging behaviour in relation to fisheries

• Main Authors: 3rd World Seabird Conference 2021, Carneiro, Ana
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Underline Science Inc. 2021
• Subjects: Animal Science; Antarctic; Sandwich Islands; South Sandwich Islands; South Georgia; Antarc*; British Antarctic Survey
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48448/madt-3w36; https://underline.io/lecture/34568-fine-scale-seabird-foraging-behaviour-in-relation-to-fisheries

Abstract: Seabirds are amongst the most threatened birds in the world, and incidental mortality (bycatch) in fisheries is one of the primary causes of population declines of large petrels. Albatrosses are particularly vulnerable given their life histories and because they are so wide-ranging, travelling hundreds to thousands of kilometres, and potentially encountering multiple threats in national and international waters. They are also attracted in very large numbers to fishing vessels to feed on offal or bait. Assessing their susceptibility to bycatch is essential for effective management and conservation. Wandering albatrosses at South Georgia have declined catastrophically since the 1960s, leading to the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands-led Action Plan, and their listing as one of nine global priority populations by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). Limited vessel-based monitoring indicate two areas of particularly high risk for wandering albatrosses; the Patagonian Shelf and Subtropical Convergence. Using novel radar-detecting loggers, we investigate the interactions of tracked wandering albatrosses with vessels in the South Atlantic. We quantify response distance and time spent following vessels during foraging trips, to map bycatch risk. This indicates where, when and from which fleets bycatch risk is greatest for wandering albatrosses, and greatly improves on previous coarse-scale analysis of overlap with fishing effort, to clearly identify areas and periods of highest susceptibility to bycatch. Authors: Ana Bertoldi Carneiro¹, Maria P. Dias, Steffen Oppel, Elizabeth Pearmain¹, Bethany L Clark, Andrew Wood², Tyler Clavelle, Richard Phillips² ¹BirdLife International, ²British Antarctic Survey