Incidental mortality of Southern Royal Albatrosses (Diomedea epomophora) associated to freshies in the South West Atlantic Ocean

SECO PON JUAN PABLO; GÓMEZ LAICH AGUSTINA; COPELLO SOFÍA; GARCÍA GERMÁN OSCAR; FAVERO MARCO

Conferencia; 4th International Albatross and Petrel Conference; 2008

The Southern Royal Albatross (SRA) Diomedea epomophora is endemic to New Zealand and breeds biennially mainly at Campbell Island and on the Auckland Islands groups (ca. 8000 and 120 pairs, respectively). Satellite-tracking studies show that foraging activities of this species during the breeding cycle are restricted to continental shelf and, particularly, over shelf-break areas close to their breeding grounds. However, the foraging range of juvenile and adults during the time off breeding is extended across the Southern Hemisphere. The SRA is listed as ?vulnerable? by IUCN and could be importantly using waters off South America as feeding grounds where the information on potential incidental bird capture and fishing practices is urgently needed. The objective of this study was to determine the by-catch of the SRA in commercial domestic trawlers (?freshies?) operating at the Patagonian Shelf. A total of 883 onboard censuses were made during two years (2005-2007) and the abundances and incidental captures in nets and warp cables were recorded. The SRA was present in the 17% of the censuses and most of the birds were adults (91%). The highest frequency of occurrence was on July (41%). There were three by-catches of SRA (two juvenile females and one adult male) during winter. Our results are in line with the only record of SRA interacting with freezer trawlers in waters off Malvinas/Falklands Islands. Interactions between SRA and this fleet are increasing at Argentinean national waters as well as the overlap between this species and fishing areas of commercial longliners. More than 130 freshies operate in waters of the Patagonian Shelf year-round posing a threat to Southern Royal albatrosses and other Procellarriform birds attending these waters, the conservation status of which is currently compromised.