Draft Executive Summary: Seabirds - Status of Seabirds in the Indian Ocean

Stock status: No assessment has been undertaken by the IOTC WPEB for seabirds due to the lack of data being submitted by CPCs. However, the current International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat status for each of the seabird species reported as caught in IOTC fisheries to date is provided in Table 1. It is important to note that a number of international global environmental accords (e.g. Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)), as well as numerous fisheries agreements obligate States to provide protection for these species. While the status of seabirds is affected by a range of factors such as degradation of nesting habitats and targeted harvesting of eggs, for albatrosses and large petrels, fisheries bycatch is generally considered to be the primary threat. The level of mortality of seabirds due to fishing gear in the Indian Ocean is poorly known, although where there has been rigorous assessment of impacts in areas south of 25 degrees (e.g. in South Africa), very high seabird incidental catches rates have been recorded in the absence of a suite of proven incidental catches mitigation measures.