Albatross Task Force News Today

Two-thirds of the world's albatross species are globally threatened because of human action, with up to 100,000 birds killed annually as bycatch. Fortunately…

What does your role involve?  My role facilitates the Albatross Task Force (ATF) Project funded by the RSPB, as well as the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA) project, which is funded by the Blue Marine Foundation. Under the ATF project, I am responsible for advocating the sustainability of seabird bycatch data collection in the Namibia for demersal hake longline and trawl fishery. Under the NIMPA project I am responsible for initiating and developing a collaborative Manageme...

One Simple Change Cut Accidental Albatross and Seabird Deaths by 98%: ‘Absolutely amazing’ Feb 8, 2021 An international task force of conservationists have proved that a remarkably simple method of deterring seabirds can save tens of thousands from accidental death. A recent study published about the Namibian fishery industry determined there was a 98% reduction in albatross and other seabird deaths after laws were passed requiring that fishermen attach colored streamers to the back o...

2 months old This article is more than 2 months old Birds that became tangled in baited lines appear to be scared off by coloured pipes Crewmen attaching bird-scaring lines to an industrial trawler in Namibia. Photograph: RSPB Crewmen attaching bird-scaring lines to an industrial trawler in Namibia. Photograph: RSPB ChrisBaraniuk Tue 19 Jan 2021 04.55 EST Last modified on Wed 20 Jan 2021 05.14 EST A cheap and simple change to the equipment used by Namibian fishing boats is saving tens of thousa...

Amazing albatrosses: scarecrows cut seabird deaths by 98% Issued on: 16/01/2021 - 10:32 Courting Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses: the birds migrate vast distances between Namibia and remote islands. © Ben Dilley 5 min Conservationists and fishermen in Namibia have reduced the accidental deaths of seabirds including endangered albatrosses, from up to 30,000 per year more than a decade ago, to just 215 at the last count: and it�...

January 8, 2021 at 3:30 pm Efforts to prevent seabirds from accidentally being killed during fishing operations off the coast of Namibia have been hailed as “a major conservation success”. Advertisement Biological Conservation, the introduction of more stringent fishing regulations in the country since 2015 has reduced the overall seabird bycatch rate by at least 90%. The study also attributes the fall in seabird mortality to work led by the Albatross Task Force (ATF) – an organisation e...

BirdGuides d398720e-dc11-4531-8fad-a035e0f836e7 The Namibian Albatross Task Force is celebrating a major conservation success story after a decade of work with the countrys fishing industry and fisheries managers: seabird deaths in the Namibian demersal longline fishery have been reduced by 98%. A new paper published in the journal Biological Conservation revealed the statistic, which has been achieved thanks to effective government regulation and dedicated grassroots enga...

Mitigation become law The Task Force quickly set to work and started meeting with the fishing industry to show them seabird ‘mitigation measures’ like bird-scaring lines – simple lines with colourful streamers towed behind the vessel that act as ‘scarecrows’ and keep birds away from baited hooks or dangerous trawl cables. After many thousands of hours at sea and in ports building support for these measures and the importance of protecting seabirds, in 2015 the team were successful in ...