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A session on fisheries bycatch will be held as part of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity over 26-30 September 2011 in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.

Overexploitation of bycatch and target species in marine capture fisheries is the most widespread and direct driver of change and loss of global marine biodiversity.  The thematic session "Change and Loss in Marine Biodiversity from Bycatch in Marine Capture Fisheries" aims to cover the following issues:

(i)  Ecological risk assessment methods to augment knowledge of the genetic- to ecosystem-level effects of fisheries bycatch;

(ii)  Components for effective governance of fisheries bycatch, including monitoring, data collection protocols, open access to datasets, conservation and management measures, surveillance and enforcement;

(iii)  Alternative methods to avoid, reduce and offset the capture of sensitive species groups and reduce injury and mortality from interactions with marine capture fisheries (e.g. marine spatial planning, networks of protected sites of relative importance to populations vulnerable to bycatch, gear technology methods, market-based mechanisms, compensatory mitigation); and

(iv)  Considerations to achieve industry uptake of effective gear technology bycatch mitigation methods, including efficacy, economic viability, practicality and crew safety.

Presentations addressing other sub-themes related to bycatch are encouraged.

To submit abstracts and for more information or suggestions for the thematic session contact:

Eric Gilman, College of Natural & Computational Sciences, Hawaii Pacific University, USA, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 31 January 2010