Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General:

To deepen the mechanisms to minimise the problem of accidental capture of birds with the involvement and training of the fishing sector, paying particular attention to the Natura 2000 Network and extending the work of the Maditerráneo to the least studied Iberian Atlantic.

Specific:

1. Extend the working model of the previous projects (ZEPAMEDs) to Galicia, as it is an area that has been little studied and at the same time is identified as a particularly valuable and sensitive area for seabirds, with marine SPAs of great value, and a high risk of accidental catch.

2. Strengthen the work carried out in the Mediterranean in the framework of the ZEPAMED I and II projects, sharing the information collected and developing feedback materials for the fisheries sector.

3. Develop action protocols in the event of live bird captures, prepare training materials and also provide fishermen with the necessary tools for the correct management of such catches.

4. To investigate the viability of the birds captured alive, both in terms of survival and alterations in their behaviour.

5. Involve the fishing sector in the development and development of mitigation measures and promote their use on a voluntary basis, in addition to promoting their participation through workshops to develop the relevant regulations.

6. Lay the foundations for a future action plan on by-catch in the Spanish Mediterranean and create a working group in charge of its development and monitoring, and at the same time contribute to the preparation of the management plans of the SPAs in the region.

A1- Extension of fieldwork to Galicia.

A2- Reinforcement of fieldwork in the Mediterranean.

A3- Measures to address live bird catches in the Mediterranean.

A4- Improvement of mitigation measures in the Mediterranean.

A5- Informative and participatory workshops.

A6- Guidelines for an action plan on by-catch in the Spanish Mediterranean.

A7- Communication actions, which will include the dissemination of the project through a section on the SEO/BirdLife website, press releases, social networks and other media.

The project has made it possible to deepen mechanisms to reduce accidental catches of birds, thanks to the involvement and training of the fishing sector.

For field monitoring in Galicia, interviews were conducted with 124 fishermen of small gear and purse seine, with a total of 235 surveys on the use of fishing gear in 22 fishing ports in the Rías Baixas and the Costa da Morte. The survey made it possible to collect information relating to the respondent’s data and characteristics of the gear, the detail of fishing habits and bird catches, the involvement of fishermen in the search for solutions and the respondent’s perception of the Natura 2000 Network. Fishermen reported accidental catches of birds in half of the surveys, most common in fixed nets, palangrillo and purse seine. In six fishing ports, more than 500 fishing trips were monitored, with nearly 1,000 draughts from ten small gear and purse seine vessels. To do this, logbooks were used, completed by the fishermen themselves, who reported nine accidentally caught birds, most of them in fixed nets and especially affecting the shag. To reinforce this information, departures were made on five collaborating vessels. In addition, a brochure has been prepared aimed at the Galician fishing sector to raise awareness of seabirds, their conservation problems, in general, and the conflicts over interacting with fishing, in particular.

In the Mediterranean, it was monitored by logbooks in nine fishing ports in Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands, recording more than 1,000 fishing trips with nearly 1,300 drafts of 21 bottom longline and small gear vessels. In total, there were 171 accidental captures of seabirds, mainly in the palangrillo, especially affecting the Cory’s shearwater.

With the experience accumulated from previous projects, tests of mitigation measures of different weight configurations in the longline have been carried out and a prototype of a longline box with a bait concealment lid has been developed, designed to set quickly, safely and hiding the baits.

To carry out the monitoring of accidentally captured birds, 18 Balearic/Mediterranean shearwaters were ringed with a metal ring and six specimens of Balearic and Mediterranean shearwater, accidentally captured in longline gear in Catalonia, were tagged with PTT satellite transmitters. Four of them emitted signals for three weeks, suggesting that a significant fraction of the birds released alive could survive at least in the short term.

In terms of dissemination and training actions, a return publication, Accidental catches of seabirds in fishing, aimed at the Mediterranean fishing sector and Administrations, which presents the analysis of the monitoring data from notebooks and surveys, collected in the period 2017-2019, together with the mitigation measures studied and recommended. The results were presented in three participatory workshops with fishermen from Santa Pola, Ibiza and Formentera. In addition, a sheet was created to train fishermen in the handling and release of live captured birds.

The dissemination actions through press releases and digital channels (website and social networks of the entity) made it possible to publicize the project, registering the publication of an article in the magazine Aves y Naturaleza, in addition to interviews on national and regional radios. Likewise, several events were participated in to publicize the project and its progress: Workshop of experts and representatives of public administrations, organized by MITECO on the bycatch of the Balearic shearwater; World Seabird Twitter Conference; meeting of the Marine Task Force, of Birdlife International, and oral presentation at the 2nd Congrés d’Ornitologia de les Terres de Parla Catalana, Ocells marins: un tresor en perill.