Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:3:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 11/26)
Character Range: 99548–102549

to scavenge on discards and baited hooks, and prey on fisheries catch during hauling (Baker et al. 2002, Patrick et al. 2015, Collet et al. 2017, Collet & Weimerskirch 2020). Seabirds interact with fishing gear either by being struck by, hooked on, or entangled in the fishing gear (DAWR 2018), which may result in direct mortality or serious injuries leading to subsequent death (Huin & Croxall 1996, Commonwealth of Australia 2018b). Direct mortalities from interactions with fishing gear may lead to a loss of reproductive opportunities from the death of offspring if the remaining adult is unable to adequately incubate the egg, or provision the chick before fledging, and from lost breeding opportunities while the remaining adult seeks to establish a new pair bond to recommence breeding.
Incidental mortality from interactions with fishing operations is a widespread, pervasive, high-impact threat to pelagic seabirds, particularly albatrosses and petrels (Croxall et al. 2012, Phillips et al. 2016). High rates of seabird bycatch occur in a wide range of longline (Brothers 1991, Gales 1998, Anderson et al. 2011), trawl (Bull 2007, Croxall et al. 2012), purse seine (Baker & Hamilton 2016, Suazo et al. 2017), and gillnet fisheries (Žydelis et al. 2013).
Available evidence highlights the threat posed to seabirds from fisheries. Anderson et al. (2011) estimated at least 160,000, and potentially 320,000, seabirds are killed by longlines annually. In 2016, an estimated 36,000 seabirds (and potentially up to 110,000 seabirds) were bycaught in pelagic longline fisheries in waters southwards of the parallel of 25°S (BirdLife International (South Africa) 2019). Global estimates for seabird mortalities in trawl and purse seine fisheries are not available. Žydelis et al. (2013) estimated at least 400,000 seabirds die in gillnets each year.

Seabird bycatch levels are likely to be significantly underestimated due to cryptic mortalities. Interactions with pelagic longlines may have killed twice the number of seabirds than previously thought due to cryptic mortalities (Brothers et al. 2010, Debski & Pierre 2014). At least 23% of total mortalities were not observed during demersal trawl fishing (Parker et al. 2013).
Conservation and research efforts have been, and continue to be, directed towards understanding interactions between seabirds and fishing gear and preventing population declines from this threat (Bull 2007, Croxall et al. 2012). Effective mitigation measures have been developed for longline fisheries and are undergoing further refinement and development of cost-effective alternatives (FAO 1999, Commonwealth of Australia 2018b, ACAP 2021a, 2021c). Progress is also being made into effective mitigation methods for trawl, purse seine and gillnet fisheries, but this is less advanced than longline fisheries (FAO 2009, Maree et al. 2014, Parker & Molloy 2017, Suazo et al. 2017, ACAP 2019c). Challenges remain in encouraging various international fisheries management