Every year thousands of seabirds are accidentally killed when they are caught in fishing gear. One of the simplest solutions that are effective in reducing seabird bycatch is the bird scaring line (BSL) or tori line (‘bird’ in Japanese). BSLs are simply ropes with streamers that fly behind fishing vessels and scare the birds away from the danger areas (basically a marine scarecrow).
In South Africa we have a small team of disabled men and woman living and working in the coastal town of Ocean View in Cape Town, who work hard to ensure there is a constant supply of BSLs (at the Ocean View Centre for persons with disabilities). They have been building these lines since 2006, through a collaborative effort between BirdLife South Africa’s Albatross Task Force and the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWFs) Sustainable Fisheries Programme, with our newest sponsorship provided by TOTAL South Africa. The financial sponsorship provided by TOTAL SA is used to buy the materials for the lines. The Centre constructs the lines and sells them at a very low cost to create a small income. Since 2006, hundreds of lines have been sold to fishermen. This year alone we have distributed 12 trawl and 4 longline BSLs to our local fisheries.
As the specifications of the BSLs change annually, with improvements to the design, the team has to adjust to these changes. Sometimes these changes are in materials (e.g. lighter ropes for increased aerial extent), while other times it may be in the construction design. The team is often able to suggest better ways of constructing the lines, having worked with them for many years.
We are very proud to work with this dedicated group, who are able to build one line in just over an hour, contributing to the conservation of our seabirds in their own special way!