Threat Abatement Plan for the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations

Abstract published as ACAP SBWG9 Inf 16

Oceanic longlining is a fishing method used to target pelagic and demersal fish species. Longlining occurs in almost all Australian waters. The adverse impact of longline fishing activities on seabirds was not fully realised until the 1980s. The incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations was listed by the then Minister as a key threatening process on 24 July 1995. Threat abatement plans for this key threatening process have been in place since 1998 with the current plan, Threat Abatement Plan the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during longline fishing operations (2018), made in 2018. The ultimate aim of this plan is to achieve zero bycatch of seabirds from longline fishing in Commonwealth fisheries. Considerable progress has been made under successive threat abatement plans to reduce the impact of longlining on seabirds. This has been achieved through the combined efforts of the fishing industry, researchers and non-governmental stakeholders working with government to reduce seabird bycatch in longline fisheries in a feasible, effective and efficient way. The prescriptions in this plan recognise this success and seek to further reduce the incidental capture of seabirds. Threat abatement plans provide a national strategy to guide the activities of government, industry and research organisations in abating the impact of key threatening processes. The content of a plan must provide for the research, management and other actions necessary to reduce the key threatening process to an acceptable level. Content requirements and matters to be taken into consideration are outlined in s 271 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Accordingly, this plan, among other things, states the objective to be achieved; specifies the actions to achieve the objective; states the criteria to measure performance of the plan; identifies the organisations and persons involved in evaluating the performance of the plan; and identifies albatross and other seabird species affected by the key threatening process. The plan is subject to review within five years.