Fisheries organisations failing to safeguard the world’s albatrosses
BirdLife International today published the first review ranking the environmental performance of the world’s 19
inter-governmental Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). The review identifies the RFMOs which are
failing to prevent the slaughter of the world’s albatrosses in longline fisheries.
The RFMOs of chief concern are the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). These
organisations are doing little or nothing to reduce the bycatch of seabirds, sharks and turtles in their fisheries,
while at the same time many of their fish stocks have declined by more than 90 per cent.
The review, /Regional Fisheries Management Organisations; their duties and performance in reducing incidental mortality
of albatrosses, /will be presented to delegates at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) five-day meeting
in Rome starting today
“Regional Fisheries Management Organisations have a legal and moral obligation to force the fisheries they govern to
reduce this wildlife toll”, said BirdLife’s International Marine Policy Officer, Dr Cleo Small. “But they are only as
strong as the political will of the countries making them up. Maximising fish catches for export is still the top
priority for many member countries, an approach which has left fish stocks and other marine species decimated with dire
consequences for marine ecosystems and local fishing communities.”
Populations of albatrosses, dolphins, sharks and turtles have plummeted, partly because many of the 19 RFMOs governing
the world’s seas are ignoring international laws requiring action to safeguard marine wildlife and tackle pirate
fishing.
More than 300,000 seabirds, including 100,000 albatrosses, and thousands of marine mammals and turtles are killed by
both legal and illegal longline fishing fleets every year, with many RFMOs turning a blind eye to the problem.
In BirdLife’s review the RFMOs are measured against their duties, as required by international law. Just one of the
organisations, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which governs the
Southern Ocean, is taking comprehensive action to tackle bycatch.
“CCAMLR has shown what can be achieved by RFMOs. If other fisheries’ organisations did the same, threats to albatrosses,
turtles, sharks and dolphins would be significantly reduced, pirate fishing eliminated and fish stocks sustainably
managed. These organisations are a key part of saving albatrosses and ensuring sound stewardship of the high seas for
future generations”, said Dr Small.