Southern Seabird Solutions is a recently formed New Zealand initiative, which resulted after the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries hosted a two-day workshop in Nelson in July 2002. Representatives from the fishing industry, environmental groups and government agencies have formed a ground-breaking alliance to tackle the problem of New Zealand albatrosses and petrels becoming caught on longline fishing hooks by overseas fleets.
The Nelson workshop was organised by Janice Molloy, who coordinates the Department's programme to make international progress on albatross and petrel conservation. A number of participants came to the workshop uncertain what could be achieved but nevertheless convinced that it was a good idea to put people with different viewpoints in the same room to discuss the issue.
As a result, a group calling itself Southern Seabirds Solutions has been established to tackle the issue. The group also agreed on the importance of continuing to address this problem within New Zealand waters.
Its brief is to build on initiatives already being taken to stop seabirds being killed - and to accelerate that progress.
The group includes representatives from the fishing industry, environmental groups, government departments, Te Ohu Kai Moana, fisheries training organisations, an eco-tourism company, Environment Australia, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the Marine Stewardship Council, and Birdlife International.
The group identified a number of key tasks to work on in the next year - including identifying good role models within fisheries around the world, skipper exchange programmes, promoting international agreements, exchanging information internationally about mitigation measures, and encouraging further development of these measures.
Media Releases
 | August 2003: Seabird Training For New Fishers Microsoft Word Document: 129 KB, 19 seconds @ 56kbps |
 | December 2002: Award For Seabird-Safe NZ Fisher Adobe Acrobat Document: 30.8 KB, 5 seconds @ 56kbps |
| July 2003: Finding For Seabird Inventions Adobe Acrobat Document: 25.5 KB, 4 seconds @ 56kbps |
| May 2003: Seabird Device To Be Tested Microsoft Word Document: 134 KB, 20 seconds @ 56kbps |
Newsletters
| ACAP Newsletter 3 Adobe Acrobat Document: 235 KB, 34 seconds @ 56kbps |
| Southern Seabirds Newsletter Adobe Acrobat Document: 27.4 KB, 4 seconds @ 56kbps |
| Southern Seabirds Booklet Adobe Acrobat Document: 870 KB, 2.1 minutes @ 56kbps |
John Ridgway Save The Albatross Voyage
The John Ridgway 'Save the Albatross' voyage has begun. The voyage begins in Scotland and it is hoped that this voyage will be able to increase public awareness about the plight of albatrosses and other seabirds in respect to the longline fisheries.
Details of the voyage and its progress can be viewed on this very informative website: www.savethealbatross.org
Links to other organisations who are actively supporting Save The Albatross Campaigns:
Translation in Japanese