After working the last year aboard trawlers I have now started to work on longline vessels that target deep-sea hake off the coast of Namibia. I have just completed a very successful first trip aboard the West Coast II. This vessel sets fishing lines up to 27 km long along the seabed.
During the 6-day trip, 130,000 hooks were set. I was able to present the background and seabird conservation issues to the crew and they all showed great interest in our work and objectives. I spent a good deal of time explaining seabird conservation and the importance of seabirds in the ecosystem. The skipper was very keen and provided me with all the assistance I needed. In return I distributed Albatross Task Force (ATF) brochures and a couple of our brand new Namibian ATF T-shirts, which were really appreciated.
As usual, most of my time was spent collecting data on the fishing activities and seabirds visiting the vessel. This is the best part of the job: watching the species we work to save in their natural habitat. However, like all good things there was a downside. As most of the line setting was done at night it was important to be up at around 3am to observe this. Then, hauling begins soon after the line is set, so having not slept, you have a full day’s work ahead. Even so, bird observations during the hauling process keeps you keen throughout the day.
The fish catches were generally low on this trip and there was a lot of loss to seals and other scavengers such as sharks. This is really frustrating for the fishermen as a damaged fish is worthless and wasted.
Sadly three white-chinned petrels were accidentally caught on hooks and killed. These vessels have the potential to catch large numbers of birds and we are looking to improve line weighting and include tori lines as part of mitigation for this fleet. These first trips are necessary to get to know the nuances of the fishing operation.
This trip marked the beginning of a research project showing the fishermen the benefits of mitigation measures. Namibia currently has no regulations requiring mitigation so we are conducting this research to show fishermen how good mitigation can reduce seabird bycatch and also prevent loss of bait so potentially lead to greater fish catches.
It's good work you're doing and an excellent blog.