South Africa has become the fourth country to ratify the
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.
Albatross + Petrels catch fish in the open ocean and every year die in their 100,000s after swallowing hooked bait used to catch tuna and Patagonian toothfish by
longline fishing boats.
The
preventative measures required to reduce this tragic and unnecessary by-catch are however both simple and effective. They include
attaching weights to lines (so that bait cannot float on the surface),
setting lines at night and attaching
bird scaring streamers behind boats.
Earth-Info.Net has followed this story for quite a while and looks forward to the UK government also ratifying this agreement next month...
Visit
Birdlife International's
Save the Albatross site to find out more.
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