Information on Safe Handling and Release of Seabirds - Supplementary Information for CMM-2018-03

Bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries is one of the greatest threats to seabirds, particularly albatrosses and petrels.
This proposal is aimed at meeting the requirements of para 11 of CMM 2018-03 - ensuring that seabirds captured alive are released alive and in as good a condition as possible and that, wherever possible, hooks are removed without jeopardizing the life of the seabird concerned.

The guidelines on Hook Removal from Seabirds, developed by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), are recommended as non-binding guidelines for safe handling and release of live caught seabirds in all WCPFC pelagic longline and other hook fisheries.