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A pdf of the Dept. of Conservation’s “A Fisher’s
Guide to New Zealand Seabirds” is easy
to find online, in many languages. 26 other
endangered NZ seabird species are featured.
I
t has long been known that fishing, both
commercial and recreational, is a major factor
in seabird loss. Some countries, including New
Zealand, have put regulations in place to help
reduce the number of birds caught.
In our case the regulations apply to all snapper
longliners fishing on the north east coast of the
North Island and also nationally to all offshore
bottom and surface longliners.
Whitianga snapper longline fisherman, Adam
Clow, owner and skipper of the
Southern Cross
,
has been recognised for the leading role he has
taken in seabird loss mitigation.
Working with Southern Seabirds Solutions Trust
– a group made of conservation entities such
as Forest and Bird, World Wildlife Fund, fishing
companies, The Ministry of Primary Industries,
Iwi, and Fishermen’s associations such as
Whitianga/ Coromandel Peninsula Commercial
Fishermen’s Association and Leigh Commercial
Fishermen’s Association – Adam has actively
promoted the use of techniques that reduce the
risk of catching seabirds in fishing gear.
He normally sets his longlines in the dark, adds
heavier weights to his lines so they sink more
quickly, and uses tori lines off either side of his
boat. These are fluttering bird scaring devices
towed behind the boat. He also ensures that offal
is not discarded overboard to provide a free feed
for the birds, thus encouraging them close to
gear that is being set.
Adam is one of the many fishers who participate
in the annual bird count at Great and Little Barrier
Islands, demonstrating their commitment to
ensuring the survival of the species. It is hoped
that the efforts of NZ fishermen support these
endangered birds to survive. The remaining
NZ fishers get
Seabird Smart
by Dick Wilson
Photo by David Hallett
LOCAL FISHERS GET BEHIND
CONSERVATION MOVES
“The preservation of both fish stocks and sea
birds are important to commercial fishers,”
says Adam Clow (pictured right), owner and
skipper of the
Southern Cross
, a commercial
fishing vessel operating out of Whitianga.
He tells us more about measures being taken
to improve practice on fishing boats to ensure
unnecessary losses are minimised.
difficulty is perhaps to find a way to ensure
that fishermen far across the other side of the
Pacific Ocean also take preventative measures.
Above: Walking on water? The ‘
taiko’ or
black
petrel posseses a unique variation of ‘surface
pattering’. Holding its wings motionless and at an
angle into the wind, it pushes itself off the water’s
surface in a succession of bounding jumps.
Below: Skipper Adam Clow takes a lead in
mitigating fishing’s injury to seabirds. Clow
participates ashore also, and is shown in a bird
banding session at Great Barrier Island.
20
COROMANDEL LIFE 2015 SPRING/HOLIDAY
C
ommercial fishing in this country has come
a long way in the last five years. Fishermen
are actively engaged with government and
conservation groups to ensure that ‘best
practice’ is employed when harvesting fish from
the wild. In this industry, it is vital the public and
scientific communities have confidence in what
fishers say and do in the process of catching fish,
shellfish and crustaceans. Most fishermen strive
for transparency, have pride in their work, and
will not tolerate fishers who fail to toe the line.
Since early this year, vessel monitoring systems
have been installed on all boats catching five or
more tonnes of snapper per year. This allows
the Ministry for Primary Industries to locate and
monitor every boat every second of the day. By
the 1st of October this year, 100% of trawlers on
the north east coast will have cameras operating
24/7 while they harvest. For some time fishers in
(our) ‘Snapper 1’ area have been recording the
amount of juvenile snapper caught, which will
further inform the commercial snapper fishery.
On the
Southern Cross,
my crew and I have
put our hand up to trial a new camera set up to
record sea birds captured on long lines. If the
cameras are put onto all vessels, the industry will
gain definitive information on sea bird mortality
rates. Working with a camera capturing your
every move has taken a bit of getting used to,
but we are happy to be taking part in the trial
and feel that it will benefit the whole industry.
All Whitianga longline fishers and some of the
local charter boat operators have now been
trained in “Seabird Smart” fishing practice, just
one of the joint initiatives by fishermen, fishing
companies, government and environmental
organisations.
The management of our industry has to come
from those at the ‘coal face’, to change fishers’
habits and thinking in regard to environmental
issues in the industry. I’m proud to be a
fisherman, and in being involved in continuing
the innovation and cooperation that will ensure
healthy fisheries into the future.