Defining high-risk areas in the Argentinean continental shelf: at-sea distribution of Black-browed albatrosses and overlapping with longline and trawl fleets

COPELLO S, JP SECO PON & M FAVERO

Wellington

Conferencia; V International Albatross and Petrel Conference; 2012

Department of Conservation, NZ

The main objective of this project is to conduct an analysis of the interactions between Black-browed albatrosses with fisheries in the Patagonian Shelf in order to develop a comprehensive model to define areas of high risk, and spatio-temporally predict their interactions over the Patagonian Shelf. We deployed satellite transmitters on black-browed albatrosses during the non-breeding period. Birds were capture at-sea in winter 2010. The at-sea distribution of tracked birds was overlapped with data obtained through the Argentinean Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). A total of 2,965 fixes was obtained over four months during the non-breeding season. The birds were distributed over the Patagonian Shelf reaching waters off Uruguay and southern Brazil, ranging from the 30° to 52°S and from high seas (48°E) to neritic waters. A kernel analysis showed core distribution areas located at the mouth of Río de la Plata, El Rincón and shelf break near Malvinas Islands and Península Valdes.