In the first part of this diary I commented on the general tasks carried out by ATF instructors onboard. Now I will describe some more occurrences during the trip.
On this journey I shared with a scientific observer, Alex López, from the Fisheries Institute (IFOP). IFOP are the organisation in charge of fishery investigation in the swordfish fleet and following the Chilean National Plan of Action Seabirds for that fishery. Alex became an excellent work mate, especially as he had gained a lot of experience this year helping build tori lines for several of the swordfish vessels.
More over, Alex had been a great conversational companion with whom I was glad to share a wealth of topics both of professional and general life, making the long distance from the continent and my loved ones seem much less daunting.
The collaboration of the crew was hugely positive. From the boson to the deckies, all chipped in to help prepare the mitigation measures we were testing. The officers also gave us all the facilities available to record the different data we collected, as well as noting down interesting sightings of birds and cetaceans during their long hours on watch.
We managed a harmonious coexistence, more so than I have ever found on previous fishing vessels. The crew were so interested in our work that we were asked for extra reading materials about the importance of conservation of fish, birds, mammals and marine reptiles. This was satisfied in part through the educational materials produced by our ATF colleagues.
We have since decided to dedicate time to creating our own fishery orientated bulletin for the Pacific coast of South America. For this reason I began interviewing and compiling photos of the crew and fishing practices to show the reality of the fishery and the conservation efforts underway in the Chilean longline fleet. Soon I hope this material will provide the impetus to create the first edition that we can circulate to all the fishing vessels that currently interact with albatrosses and petrels in the South Pacific!