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Leo Tamini

During the last few weeks, we have been working on-shore on a variety of tasks including activities with fishers, fishing companies and governmental representatives. After two trips on the Sirius III, a 60 metre 'fresh' trawler (which keeps its catch on ice), we have been arranging a trip on a 'freezer' trawler (keeps catch frozen) which will leave port sometime in the next couple of weeks.

We will be able to compare the two fishery types and trial the use of different mitigation measures. The trip will be about 30-40 days long on southern waters.

During time on-shore we have discussed mitigation methods with Diego González-Zevallos from Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Diego is one of the winners of the Smart Gear award for the utilization of traffic cones as a mitigation measures to reduce the impact of warp cables on seabird mortality. He has extensive experience in the use of the cones in provincial 'fresh' trawlers.

Also, we have been in touch with Barry Watkins from ATF South Africa because he has been doing experiments with cones on the South African fleet. Barry has also designed a tori-line (bird scaring line) for trawlers and we will try to make some trials on Argentinean trawler fleet to see if the set up works here.

We also have some very good news about mitigation measures for the longline fleet. The Argentinean Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) has passed a resolution to adopt the use of mitigation measures that reduce the seabird capture in all vessels that operate longlines in Argentinean waters.

The mandatory measures include:

  • the addition of weight to the main line
  • night setting
  • use of bird-scaring lines (tori lines)
  • the release of any bird captured live during hauling.

It is hoped that these measures have a swift effect in reducing the current levels of seabird mortality plus that caused by any future increase in the fleet.

We have been maintaining contact with the fishing companies in order to further explain the objectives of ATF project and to raise awareness into the main companies in Mar del Plata harbour. It is important to generate confidence within the sector to facilitate work with fishers and the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures onboard.