ESPANTAVES – Reducing seabird bycatch rates in the extractive fisheries sector through the design of mitigation measures
Pleamar program
The project focused on mitigating the collateral effects of longline and trawling fishing activities on seabirds that are largely classified as protected or endangered, by designing tailor-made devices to prevent their bycatch depending on the type of fleet.
In the longline fishery, bycatch occurs when birds prey on baited hooks that sink during gear set, getting caught in them or entangled in the arming or mother line. There are various measures to avoid this, however, the only one with a certain degree of implementation and effectiveness are the so-called “scarecrow lines”, although they slow down fishing work. In the case of trawling, birds can be caught by nets or hit by trawl cables at the time of tacking. For this type of fishery there are no specific scarecrows. In addition, this fishery produces a large number of wastes, up to 50%, which produces a foraging effect that attracts birds.
Line of action:
Marine ecosystemsStatus:
FinalizadoExecution date:
2018General Objective:
Mitigate the effect of fishing activities on seabird bycatch by designing novel scarecrow devices and new on-board waste management models.
Specific objectives:
- Prevent bird interaction with trawlers by designing scarecrow devices.
- Prevent bird interaction with longline vessels by designing scarecrow devices.
- Design a new fish waste management system on board trawlers to decrease the attraction of seabirds to them.
- To raise awareness in the sector about the current problem of accidental capture of birds and the importance of the use of mitigation measures.
In the ESPANTAVES project , the existing literature on the interaction of birds with the trawl and longline fishery has been reviewed. SEO/Birdlife has been in charge of the collection of devices to scare them away. Based on the information obtained, a proposal for mitigation measures has been developed following the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). The analysis of the fishing park of trawlers and longlines and the study of the design of the processing plant have also been carried out.
Device Design:
Scarecrow devices have been designed for bottom longline (24 m), surface longline (35 m) and bottom trawl vessels, together with their respective occupational risk prevention plans.
Discard management:
After the study of the fishing park and the processing plant, together with the management of discards and fish waste on board, two waste retention scenarios have been considered: no unloading and unloading. The first case would be the most ideal because the problem would be completely avoided, considering different solutions such as freezing the waste, transforming it into fishmeal/fish oil or the production of silage. The study of discontinuous discharge devices, which significantly reduce the ability to attract seabirds and the associated risk of bycatch, has also been deepened.
On-board fish waste management devices have been designed for both newly built and existing vessels. Considering the option of storing waste in tanks without an anisakis inerting system or with an inerting system. Two user manuals have been produced for these devices, including the installation settings, maintenance and cleaning of the devices, precautions for use, occupational risks and a guide to good practices.
ESPANTAVES – Reducing seabird bycatch rates in the extractive fisheries sector through the design of mitigation measures
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