Albatross Task Force Argentina – Reducing Seabird Bycatch in Argentinean Trawl Fisheries

Timeframe: 2020 - 2022
Country/Region: Argentina
Partner: BirdLife International

Albatrosses are stunning, long-lived seabirds that spend much of their lives soaring over the ocean. They are the most threatened group of seabirds in the world and 15 out of 22 species are at risk of extinction: incidental bycatch in fisheries is one of the major drivers of the population decline.

Birdlife International and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds initiated in 2005 the Albatross Task Force (ATF), an international team dedicated to saving the albatross by working on board fishing vessels and in ports with the fishing industry. ATF is working across numerous countries in South America and in South Africa. Fondation Segré contribution focuses on the work of ATF in Argentina with the overarching goal to reduce by minimum 80%, the accidental capture of albatrosses and petrels in two Argentinian fisheries, estimated to be responsible for the deaths of over 13’500 albatrosses annually.

Funding from Fondation Segré will allow ATF team to achieve the following:

  • Achieve 90% compliance with seabird bycatch regulations across both hake trawl and hoki mid-water trawl fleets.
  • Establish the national capacity within Argentinean fisheries regulatory bodies.
  • Raise awareness of the impact of seabird bycatch and establish a broad constituency of support for bycatch mitigation.