By ANNE BESTON
America's Cup sailors will throw their support behind a campaign to save the albatross.
Wellington-based Forest and Bird conservation manager Eric Pyle said the Save the Albatross Campaign was part of an international effort to put pressure on the fishing industry to prevent albatross deaths.
A nationwide launch of
the campaign, with Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson, will be held at Dunedin's Royal Albatross Centre, on Saturday.
Cup sailors will sign large postcards to be delivered to Fisheries Ministers in Japan, Taiwan, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Chile and Argentina, urging them to help stop the high rate of seabird deaths.
Mr Pyle said those countries had important longline fishing fleets or their exclusive economic zones were important bird areas.
Thousands were killed annually in New Zealand waters and 300,000 were estimated to be killed worldwide every year.
A national draft plan of action to reduce the seabird bycatch is expected to be released next year.
"Albatross and petrel conservation is a huge issue for New Zealand," said Mr Pyle. "We have more endemic albatross and petrel species than any other country and the issue needs to be taken as seriously as conservation of kiwi."
Some albatross and petrel species had declined by 90 per cent over the past 60 years, mostly due to longline fishing, he said.
Mr Pyle said the number of longline hooks on New Zealand boats fishing in New Zealand waters had increased from one million in 1990 to more than seven million in 1999 and the seabird death toll had risen accordingly.
New Zealand is a signatory to the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels but had chosen not to close fisheries even though the Fisheries Minister had the power to do so, he said.
But the Seafood Industry Council disputes the number of albatross and petrels killed from longline fishing and says the industry is already taking steps to reduce the seabird bycatch.
They include night fishing and the use of "tori" lines - long lines of streamers trailed behind the boat that discourage the birds from diving for the hooks.
But Mr Pyle said the New Zealand industry had fought successfully to exempt itself from having observers on every New Zealand boat while demanding Japanese longliners fishing in New Zealand waters carried them.
Forest and Bird also wanted no-fishing areas declared at certain times of the year.
Royal Albatross Colony
Herald feature: Environment
