Hi everybody. I thought twice before writing this diary, because we usually try to provide more positive information and show beautiful pictures of our work. However, our job is not always about happy endings; we also witness a lot of sad situations.
In this instance I specifically refer to the albatrosses that we observe during at-sea trips that have suffered having their bills mutilated by fishermen. This happens when these birds are captured alive during the hauling operation (see diary “caught-on-the-haul”). Sometimes, instead of taking time to remove the hook carefully and releasing the bird as healthy as possible, they simply cut the bill with a knife or a saw, and release the bird mutilated. I can only image what a truly horrible scene that must be!
The image below shows a live adult Black-browned albatross with bill damage
Despite the injury, the birds I have seen at-sea were still managing to feed on discards and seemed to be surviving, but we do not know how long these birds manage to survive with what is clearly a huge foraging disadvantage. As some evidence for this reduced chance of survival, I can report having found a dead Northern Royal albatross on the beach, with the bill cut in this terrible way.
The image below shows the Northern Royal Albatross with a mutilated bill found death at the Cassino Beach, southern Brazil
Attitudes like this make me think about the reality of the lives of pelagic longline fishermen. The morbid daily routine, intrinsic to any fishery, is very explicit. Large tunas, swordfish and sharks are caught alive, and have to be killed one by one, while struggling and fighting for their lives, in what is a violent and bloody scene. The crew must perform this activity quickly to prevent the fish from beating its tail on deck, which bruises and detracts from the quality of the meat. This routine, repeated a thousand times as fishermen become more experienced, must result in a certain level of apathy for the suffering marine animals. Trying to change this apathy is one of the huge challenges we face in our job.
One of the fundamental tasks we have in the ATF is to develop awareness about the value of the animal’s life, and the necessity to save the animals that are caught accidentally in the fishery. One of the ways to achieve this awareness is stimulating a feeling of wonder, respect and curiosity in the fishermen, explaining about albatross life history and the incredible deeds albatrosses overcome to survive.
In addition to generating awareness, we must also provide information on best practice methods to remove hooks from birds and turtles, and how to correctly handle and release these animals.
It is really rewarding and stimulating to notice a change in the attitude of fishermen with whom we have had the chance to work closely, especially for long periods at-sea. However, this experience shall be the subject for another “page” of my diary.
Bye for now!