International Experts Visit Taiwan As Part of Seabird Bycatch Collaboration
By Scott Pursner
As part of the collaboration between the Taiwan Wild Bird Federation and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the topic of seabird bycatch mitigation, the TWBF hosted two international experts from November 5th to November 12, 2022. The guests included Ms. Stephanie Prince, the High Seas Programme Manager for the RSPB and Dr. Dimas Gianuca of Brazil, a seabird bycatch expert. It was Ms. Prince's fourth trip to Taiwan and the first for Dr. Gianuca.
During their stay, the two experts, accompanied by TWBF Director of International Affairs Scott Pursner, attended meetings with various stakeholders on the topic of seabird bycatch. For instance, on November 8th, a meeting was held with representatives from the Taiwan Fisheries Agency, the Overseas Fisheries Development Council, and National Taiwan Ocean University. One topic discussed during this meeting was the two bird-scaring line experiments which took place in 2021. Bird-scaring lines are one of the major mitigation measures used by Taiwanese fishermen for deterring seabirds from getting near setting lines whose hooks can catch the birds and drown them, resulting in incidental bycatch. During the experiment, onboard BSLs were compared to those following the current best practice as laid out by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP). The results of the experiment are still being analyzed and will be useful to scientists and conservationists hoping to better understand seabird bycatch mitigation in Taiwan's longline tuna fishing fleet.
Ms. Prince and Dr. Gianuca meet with representatives of the TFA and OFDC
Another meeting took place with representatives of the Feng Chun Formosa, also known as FCF Co. Ltd., one of the world’s top tuna traders. This took place in two parts. First, the group was taken to the port of Kaohsiung where they were able to board a vessel to get a better understanding of the fishing operations and the seabirds bycatch mitigations employed. The crew were helpful in explaining the way things worked which was important for Dr. Gianua and Ms. Prince as they had not experienced Taiwanese vessels before. Then at the FCF office, the international guests were able explain more about their work while representatives from FCF shared information about the efforts to stop incidental bycatch as well as how they are working to improve fishery operations overall. All sides agreed that further interactions and exchanges would be beneficial and that this was a step in the right direction.
FCF helped the pair access a vessel to learn about its seabird bycatch mitiagtion measures
Finally, the TWBF/RSPB team was able to pay a visit to the Fisheries Agency headquarters in Kaohsiung. While there they met with Taiwanese fisheries observers including one of the observers who took part in the 2021 experiments. According to Dr. Gianuca, this kind of interaction is critical for being able to stop seabird bycatch. As he put it, "observers are the ones who will be recording everything on the vessel, from the bycatch mitigation measures used to the amount of bycatch, to thoughts on improvements to make measures more effective. Ensuring they have all the right tools in their toolbox is critical for our efforts." A frank discussion was had between the experts and the observers about the experiments which took place, the currently employed mitigation measures, and thoughts about the future with regard to the topic of seabird bycatch.
Dr. Gianuca talks about bird scaring lines with Taiwanese vessel observers