Brazil improves existing and adds new mitigation measures to reduce bycatch of seabirds in pelagic longline fisheries

Brazil is one of several South American countries which are Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and which hold a great diversity and abundance of albatrosses and petrels within their waters. To help conserve these birds the National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (NPOA-Seabirds Brazil) was adopted in 2004. This NPOA-Seabirds was framed within the FAO's IPOA-Seabirds and follows the objectives of the Agreement.

A hooked Wandering Albatross: at risk in Brazilian waters, photograph courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey

Recently, Brazil improved its existing and added new fishing regulations towards the reduction of incidental capture of seabirds in pelagic longline fisheries operating south of 20°S (Ministry of Fishery and Aquaculture, Interministerial Normative Instruction N°7/2014). The discussions pertaining to seabird conservation were made possible thanks to the participation of different sectors of the Government, industry (industrial and fisherman’s syndicate), academia and NGOs. The new regulation is framed within the Agreement's recommendations for reducing seabird mortality (use of bird-scaring (tori) lines, night setting and line weighting); now all mandatory for pelagic longline vessels fishing south of 20°S as from 1 May 2015.

Click here for the text of the Interministerial Normative Instruction.

Click here for additional news on the new regulation from the Brazilian NGO, Projeto Albatroz.  Read an earlier news item on Brazilian regulations here.

Juan Pablo Seco Pon, ACAP South American News Correspondent, 27 April 2015