Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2012

5. New Zealand seabirds
AEBAR 2012: Protected species: Seabirds
Scope of chapter This chapter focuses on estimates of captures and risk assessments
conducted for seabirds that breed in New Zealand waters. Also included
are descriptions of the nature of fishing interactions, the management
context and approach, trends in key indicators and major sources of
uncertainty. It does not include detail on the biology or response of
individual seabird species other than those four taxa for which
quantitative population modelling has been conducted.
Area New Zealand EEZ and Territorial Sea (noting that many seabirds are
highly migratory and spend prolonged periods outside the NZ EEZ; on
the high seas these effects are considered by CCSBT, WCPFC,
CCAMLR, SPRFMO, etc. and New Zealand capture estimates are
reported to those organisations).
Focal localities Interactions with fisheries occur in many parts of the EEZ and TS.
Key issues Quantitative and semi-quantitative risk assessments can be improved
through better estimates of: incidental captures in fisheries that are
poorly or un-observed; species identity, especially of birds released
alive; cryptic mortality rates; survival of birds released alive; and the
ability of seabird populations to sustain given levels of bycatch,
especially given fisheries interactions and captures outside the New
Zealand EEZ and in non-commercial fisheries. Consolidating qualitative
and (semi) quantitative risk assessments is a key challenge.
Emerging issues Assessing fisheries impacts in the context of other factors influencing
seabird survival and reproduction, including other anthropogenic effects.
MFish Research
(current)
Other Govt
Research (current)
Links to 2030
objectives
Related
chapters/issues
Magnitude of “deck strike” mortality.
PRO2006-01 Demographic, distributional and trophic information on
selected seabird species; PRO2006-02 Modelling the effects of fishing
on selected seabird species; PRO2010-01 Estimating incidental
captures of protected species; PRO2010-02 Addressing key areas of
uncertainty (including in risk assessments) for a revised NPOA-
seabirds.
DOC Conservation Services Programme (CSP) projects: INT2012-01,
Observing commercial fisheries; INT2010-02, Identification of seabirds
captured in New Zealand fisheries; POP2011-02, Flesh-footed
shearwater population study trial and at-sea distribution; POP2012-03,
Black petrel at-sea distribution and population estimate; POP2012-04,
Campbell Island and grey-headed albatrosses population estimates;
POP2012-05, White-capped albatross population estimate; POP2012-
06, Salvin’s albatross population estimate and at-sea distribution;
POP2012-07, Gibson’s albatross population estimate; POP2012-08, Pitt
Island shags foraging ecology; MIT2012-01, Inshore bottom longline
seabird mitigation design and analysis; MIT2012-02, Inshore trawl
warp-strike mitigation analysis of effectiveness; MIT2012-03, Review of
mitigation techniques in setnet fisheries; MIT2012-04, Surface longline
seabird mitigation; MIT2012-05, Protected species bycatch newsletter
Objective 6: Manage impacts of fishing and aquaculture.
Strategic Action 6.2: Set and monitor environmental standards,
including for threatened and protected species and seabed impacts.
National Plan of Action to reduce the incidental catch of seabirds in
New Zealand fisheries
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