BirdGuides
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The Namibian Albatross Task Force is celebrating a major conservation success story after a decade of work with the country's fishing industry and fisheries managers: seabird deaths in the Namibian demersal longline fishery have been reduced by 98%.
A new paper published in the journal
Biological Conservation revealed the statistic, which has been achieved thanks to effective government regulation and dedicated grassroots engagement with the industry.
Albatrosses and other seabirds have traditionally fallen foul of the longline fishing industry in huge numbers (Namibian ATF).
Bycatch – the capture of non-target species in fisheries – remains one of the biggest threats to seabirds, especially albatrosses. The RSPB and BirdLife International established the 'Albatross Task Force' (ATF) in South America and southern Africa to engage directly with the fishing industry and demonstrate the simple measures that can prevent birds being caught on longline fishing hooks or killed by collisions with the thick steel cables that haul trawl nets through the water.