I was recently aboard a 30-metre long Uruguayan longline vessel targeting swordfish for 14 days. Due to bad weather, it was only possible to fish for seven of those days.
During the first set of the fishing lines, a bird-scaring line was used to help prevent seabird bycatch. Unfortunately, the bird-scaring line did not work as hoped and we had to remove it to prevent complications with the fishing operations, as it was getting entangled. This gave us a good challenge - to work out a different, better design.
At the same time, it is important to keep up the search for new alternative solutions to reduce the capture of seabirds. We tried setting the fishing lines at night and this time no birds were caught.
Five seabirds were caught during the haul back of the longline - two black-browed albatrosses, two great shearwaters and one sooty shearwater. Fortunately, all five birds were released alive.
Whilst I was on board, I spoke frequently with the fishermen about the issue of seabirds and fisheries and I gave out educational materials to help inform them better. Since I started working aboard the vessels as an observer, and particularly with seabirds I have noticed a change in many sailors' attitudes. They are slowly developing a consciousness of the problem.
Today, many of the sailors know that the albatross and petrels are as risk of extinction and that the capture of only a very few birds on one vessel can contribute to the deaths of many birds at a global level and therefore the reduction of the overall population numbers.