Bycatch - seabirds

To address key threats to seabirds from fishing activities in Australia, the Australian Government has voluntarily adopted the:

• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds). The IPOA–Seabirds is a voluntary instrument within the framework of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and sets out principles and international standards of behaviour for responsible fishing practices.
• Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP).

The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is responsible for the national Threat Abatement Plan for the Incidental Catch (or Bycatch) of Seabirds during Oceanic Longline Fishing Operations. This plan coordinates national action to moderate the impact of longline fishing activities on seabirds in Australian waters. It applies to all fisheries under Australian Commonwealth jurisdiction.

The Australian Government has developed a National Plan of Action for minimising the incidental catch of seabirds in Australian capture fisheries (NPOA–Seabirds). NPOA–Seabirds is a voluntary measure that provides a comprehensive and nationally-consistent approach to reducing the impact of fishing on seabirds. It draws together existing regulatory and voluntary management arrangements into one document and provides additional guidance for future management decisions around seabird mitigation measures.

NPOA-Seabirds provides clear guidance on best practice mitigation, monitoring and reporting of seabird interactions. It reduces duplication of management arrangements, targets responses to areas identified as having the strongest need, and helps fisheries managers and industry to apply more uniform, efficient and cost-effective seabird bycatch management.  

National Reporting