Hi everyone, I'm writing to explain about how I've been spending the last few months on an important activity for all Task Force teams - helping to train local fishery observers. I've been working with the local Fisheries Institute (Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, IFOP) to develop workshops for observers working onboard trawl, purse seine and longline vessels. IFOP is the Institute that works with the Chilean government to collect all information related to fisheries activities from all the fleets that work along the coast.
Basically, the courses consist of modules on seabird identification, an introduction to the biology and ecology of seabirds, protocols on the collection of relevant information to help identify where albatross and petrels are interacting with the fisheries and discussions about the different methods used to protect the most vulnerable seabirds. We believe that this process will not only be beneficial for the personal development of many of the observers, but will act as a lasting legacy in Chile and help the future generations of observers to include seabird training as standard within their routine work programmes.
As a result of this work, the coordinators in Chile will now meet twice a year - in Punta Arenas in the far south of Chile and in Talcahuano in the central southern zone. In these ports the observers from different fleets including deep-sea longline and trawl vessel, some of the most important areas and fisheries for albatross conservation.
This results from a joint project between the ATF and IFOP with funding support from the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP). We've been developing the onboard data collection protocols, which will be used to register the number of birds impacted by the different fisheries and during the various fishing operations. At the same time, we have been working closely with the data managers to include the new forms and protocols in the existing databases and therefore complete the process.
This is an important step and a valuable collaboration between ourselves, IFOP observers and supported by ACAP to generate crucial information on seabird interactions across fleets in the south of Chile. It is no small thing either; the observers already have a heavy schedule onboard, collecting a range of information about the fishery resources including operational data and biological samples. To ensure that these new protocols run smoothly, I've been working onboard the industrial trawl fleet to demonstrate the best practice methods for data collection. These vessels typically spend around 7 to 10 days at sea and are based at the port of Talcahuano at 37° south.