Seabird-smart fishing seminar held in Whangarei

Wild Fish deckhand Cameron Joyce said the day reinforced good work practices but was also valuable for the shared techniques and knowledge shared by fishers from around the region. Photo / John Stone

Northland commercial fishers have swapped tips and techniques to keep seabirds away from their boats - with the aim of catching creatures with fins not feathers.

About 25 fishers attended a one-day workshop in Whangarei yesterday, organised by Southern Seabird Solutions to educate the industry about fishing-related seabird injuries or deaths.

Operations Manager for Leigh Fisheries, Tom Pearle, said the good turnout reflected how important the issue of avoiding harming seabirds is to fishermen.

Dave Moore, from Wild Fish; good business as well as environmental outcomes. Photo/John Stone

"It's an inherent risk of long line fishing in particular but it can be managed," Mr Pearle said.

"There are industry regulations but this is about the industry and the skippers and crews taking responsibility and taking it even further."

Seabirds have learned to forage for food at the back of trawl and long line fishing vessels, which places them at risk of being caught on hooks or tangled in trawl gear, he said.

"It is important for us to keep up to date in our knowledge and ensure that all of our fishermen understand why seabird-smart fishing is so important.

"It is part of our best fishing practice and the Southern Seabird Solutions workshop is a way for us to share and update this knowledge."

Nathan Reid, Supplier Supervisor for Moana New Zealand, said commercial fishers were already doing a lot of valuable work to keep seabirds away from fishing vessels so the workshop was a chance to build connections and share knowledge of what works out on the water.

Each workshop held around New Zealand is tailored to the needs of the particular fishing fleet attending, with information about local seabirds, latest developments in seabird-smart fishing practices, how to care for birds that are caught, and benefits for the industry of being seabird smart.

Dave Moore, managing director of Wild Fish which operates a fleet of 10 vessels off Northland and supplies mainly to Leigh Fisheries, said the business side of avoiding catching birds was as important as the wildlife protection issue.

"Obviously it's in our interests to have a fish on the line, not a bird, but with the highly discerning markets in places like Singapore and Zurich you need to be able to demonstrate you're fishing responsibly," Mr Moore said.

The workshop was funded by Leigh Fisheries, Moana New Zealand, Ministry for Primary Industries and Department of Conservation.

Southern Seabird Solutions Trust is an alliance including representatives from the seafood industry, government, WWF-NZ and Te Ohau Kaimoana.