Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:3:p21
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 21/26)
Character Range: 126442–129418

longer sustainable (FAO 2016). As the percentage of fully fished stocks has increased, the proportion of under-fished stocks has decreased (FAO 2016). Global catches vary with region—among the most productive areas is the northwest Pacific Ocean where 21.4 million tonnes (27% of global marine catch) were landed—while in comparison, in the southeast Pacific Ocean only 8.9 million tonnes (11%) were caught (FAO 2016). Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities add significantly to these numbers. For example, IUU catches are probably highest off western Africa and are responsible for 40% of total regional catches (Agnew et al. 2009). Thus, the impact on marine ecosystems is substantial and can lead to a shift in abundance of species not targeted by commercial fishers.
There is extensive overlap between areas exploited by commercial operations and seabird foraging areas (BirdLife International 2004). However, competition occurs only where commercial fishers and seabirds are targeting the same species in the same area (noting that interactions also occur between seabirds and fishing gear to scavenge catch during hauling). Intensive industrial fishing puts acute pressure on European seabirds that rely on the West African fish resources in winter (Gremillet et al. 2015).
In Australia, primary prey species for Shy Albatrosses include Redbait (Emmelichthys nitidus), Gould's squid (Nototodarus gouldi), and Jack mackerel (Trachurus declivis) are all commercially harvested (Hedd & Gales 2001). The Fisheries Status Report relevant to these commercial species indicates they are currently 'not overfished' in Australian waters (ABARES 2021). The ecological sustainability of fisheries should include consideration of dependent seabird species, particularly as commercial fishers target species at increasingly lower trophic levels (Pauly et al. 1998).
Many commercial fisheries target large predatory fish, such as tunas and billfishes, (Juan-Jordá et al. 2011). The removal of large numbers of predators is likely to alter the structure of marine food webs, but does not necessarily lead to a decrease in the stocks of prey fish species (Danckwerts et al. 2014). The impact on seabirds is more indirect. Large seabirds, such as albatrosses and petrels, are unable to dive to more than a few metres, but many prey species occur at depths of around 50 m. To access these fish species, many seabird species rely on subsurface predators to drive fish schools to the surface where they then become accessible to foraging seabirds (for example, Le Corre & Jaquemet 2005). Thus, as levels of commercial harvesting of large marine predatory fish species increase, seabirds are less likely to access food resources.
No albatross or petrel species within the recovery plan is presently identified as being at risk from competition with fisheries for food resources. It is difficult to determine the level (and the effects) of competition for food resources