Best Practice Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Criteria and Definition

The Eighth Meeting of ACAP’s Advisory Committee (AC87) endorsed the following definition of Best Practice to be used when developing advice on mitigation measures to reduce seabird bycatch: 1. Individual fishing technologies and techniques should be selected from those shown by experimental research to significantly1 reduce the rate of seabird incidental mortality2 to the lowest achievable levels. 2. Fishing technologies and techniques, or a combination thereof, shall have clear and proven specifications and minimum performance standards for their deployment and use. 3. Fishing technologies and techniques shall be demonstrated to be practical, cost effective and widely available. 4. Fishing technologies and techniques should, to the extent practicable, maintain catch rates of target species. 5. Fishing technologies and techniques should, to the extent practicable not increase the bycatch of other taxa. 6. Minimum performance standards and methods of ensuring compliance should be provided for fishing technologies and techniques, and should be clearly specified in fishery regulations.