Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:3:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 14/26)
Character Range: 107936–110797

combination of measures. Some measures, such as night setting and line weighting, have been consistently successful in a number of longline fisheries, while the effectiveness of others has varied between vessels and seabird species (ACAP 2021a, 2012c).
Trawl fishing operations
Seabird mortality may be higher in trawl fisheries than in longline operations, at least in some areas of the globe, due to the higher fishing effort in this sector (Favero & Seco Pon 2014). Seabird mortality arises where birds are struck by warp wires (Sullivan & Reid 2002, 2003) or net sonde cables (Weimerskirch et al. 2000, Wienecke & Robertson 2002), or become entangled by these or the trawl net (Sullivan et al. 2006b). The seabird may be killed by the collision, or drown, or die later from its injuries (cryptic mortality). The type of trawl fishing and the time of year are important factors influencing the extent of seabird mortality. The problem of interactions with trawl gear is exacerbated when large numbers of birds are present around vessels, such as may occur when offal is discharged during processing of catch. Only a small proportion of the birds killed are hauled on board during fishing operations (Abraham 2010, Debski & Pierre 2014, Parker et al. 2013).
A major limitation in the gathering of accurate data is the lack of independent observer programs in trawl fisheries that would aid in the determination of lethal and sub-lethal seabird interactions with trawl gear. Reliable data on the levels of seabird bycatch in Australian trawl fisheries would require observer programs and/or greater levels of electronic monitoring to be established to specifically focus on this issue.

Although in Australia's trawl fisheries seabird bycatch appears to be relatively low, large numbers of albatrosses and petrels are killed in trawl fisheries worldwide (Sullivan & Reid 2002, González et al. 2006, Sullivan et al. 2006b, Baker et al. 2007, Bull 2007, Croxall et al. 2012, Paz et al. 2018). The foraging distribution of some albatrosses and petrels breeding in Australia's jurisdiction overlaps extensively with trawl fisheries in areas beyond Australia's jurisdiction (Birdlife International 2004). At times, seabirds attend fishing vessels in distant fisheries in large numbers where they are exposed to collision and entanglement risks (Wienecke & Robertson 2002, González et al. 2006, Baker et al. 2007).
At Macquarie Island, a single trawler operated in waters adjacent to the island from 1994 to 2009. There have been no deaths of albatrosses and petrels recorded. During trawl fishing at Heard Island and McDonald Islands only a few seabird deaths were recorded (Lawton et al. 2007). There is considerable trawl fishing elsewhere within Australian waters with vessels targeting a range of deep-water crustacean and finfish species. Much of this fishing