email editor
Research from Marine Scotland has found the estimate of seabird bycatch in the Scottish longline fishery is considerably lower than reported. Photo: birdlife.ord.za
Marine Scotland has released a report into the issue of seabird bycatch in Scottish longline fisheries.
The report entitled “Improving understanding of seabird by catch in Scottish longline fisheries and exploring potential solutions” studied the offshore longline fishery that targets hake in the United Kingdom and European Union waters, through new data analyses and discourse with the industry.
The Government has committed itself to addressing the severe decline in seabird population through a new Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy (SSCS).
The report states that the developing SSCS highlights the vulnerability of seabird species to a range of human pressures, including incidental bycatch in fisheries. Consequently, estimating bycatch levels and understanding the possible effects of bycatch mortality on seabird populations (and reducing it where necessary) forms a fundamental element in supporting the Scottish Government’s long-term environmental ambitions.
Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy (2020-2030) also includes an ‘International Commitment’ to monitor and reduce incidental bycatch, including bycatch of marine mammals and birds. The Strategy also embraces an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries, with a focus on conservation of vulnerable and protected species, for example, by limiting unwanted bycatch and encouraging proper handling practices when returning protected species to the sea. Furthermore, and of relevance to this project, the Strategy calls for management decisions which make the most of fishermen’s’ knowledge.
In 2020, data collected by onboard observers from the UK Bycatch Monitoring Programme (BMP) were used to produce the first broadscale UK seabird bycatch estimates for net, midwater trawl and longline fisheries (Northridge et al. 2020). This work highlighted a few fisheries where bycatch rates of seabirds appeared to be relatively high, though the results were highly caveated regarding the small sample sizes from some fisheries metiers and the likelihood that sampling data may be biased for a variety of reasons, including uneven spatial and seasonal coverage.
One of the fisheries that appeared to have relatively high bycatch rates was the UK offshore longline fishery that mainly targets European hake (Merluccius merluccius) primarily along the continental shelf break in ICES Subareas 4,6,7. The fishery is currently prosecuted by about 14 UK registered vessels, as well as vessels from some EU member states.
Research found that the latest bycatch of seabird for the hake longlining fishery was considerably lower and more reliable than the preliminary estimates produced by Northridge et al.(2020) but uncertainty around the estimates remains high and identified spatio-temporal biases in the sampling data may also affect their accuracy.
The report concludes that more data collection is needed in relation to this issue.
To find out more about the results of the study, click below:
