Summary report: seabird bycatch mitigation in pelagic longline fisheries workshop

The workshop “Seabird Bycatch Mitigation in Pelagic Longline Fisheries” was held on October 14, 2006 at the Museum of Natural History in Hobart, Tasmania. It was staged in Hobart to take advantage of the experts already in Hobart for a meeting of the Incidental Mortality Associated with Fishing (IMAF) ad hoc Working Group of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The need for and timing of the meeting was an outgrowth of a research program developed by Washington Sea Grant (WSG) that was recently funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to develop best management practices to conserve seabirds in pelagic longline fisheries. Fundamental to this proposed work was convening an “advisory committee body” to help guide the research program, which is to be staged in seabird hot spots in the southern hemisphere. Recognizing that the needs in the area of seabird bycatch mitigation for pelagic fisheries are much broader than any one research program, the scope of the workshop was expanded to a broader information sharing and planning exercise. The meeting was convened and facilitated by Ed Melvin, Marine Fisheries Research Scientist, WSG.
The objectives of the workshop were to:
•Share current and future plans for mitigation research and related initiatives
•Develop the framework for a 5-year mitigation research plan
The workshop had two parts (Appendix 1). The morning session focused on information sharing and included presentations highlighting three program initiatives specific to seabird conservation in pelagic longline fisheries, permutations of pelagic longline fishing gear, and pelagic mitigation research underway. The afternoon session was a facilitated group discussion focused on prioritizing seabird mitigation technologies for future research based on specific criteria. The workshop concluded with presentations on funding for mitigation research and closing remarks.
Workshop participants and invitees provided brief summaries of their presentations, which are included here.