Award of CR/2020/07 - Improving understanding of seabird bycatch in Scottish longline fisheries a...

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Introduction 1. The Scottish Government is committed to a clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse marine and coastal environment that meets the long-term needs of people and nature. This includes managing our seas sustainably to protect their rich biological diversity and to ensure that our marine ecosystems continue to provide economic, social and wider benefits for people, industry and society. 2. Scotland is home to a third of Europe’s breeding seabirds and their status provides an important indicator for assessing the state of our marine environment. The 2018-2019 Programme for Government committed to identify actions to address the significant declines in seabird populations through a new Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy. The developing Strategy highlights the vulnerability of seabird species to a range of pressures, including bycatch in fisheries. Background & Context 3. Bycatch (the incidental capture of non-target species in certain types of fishing gear and fisheries) is potentially one of the greatest conservation threats to marine wildlife globally. It is identified as one of several potential threats to seabird populations in the developing Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy with an action to better understand rates of bycatch and the drivers of bycatch risk. 4. In the UK, the Protected Species Bycatch Monitoring Programme (PSBMP) places dedicated observers on UK registered vessels operating in UK waters, in order to quantify protected species bycatch (e.g., marine mammals, seabirds and sharks). Multiple seabird species have been recorded through this programme, with numbers and bycatch rates varying depending on the species and type of fishing vessel. An analysis of data collected between 2010 and 2018 provided preliminary bycatch estimates for Northern fulmars in the Scottish offshore longline fishery (Northridge et al. 2020). However, further work is required to more fully understand where, when and how bycatch is occurring within longline fisheries and the factors that could be influencing these observed rates. This is important in order to identify proportionate and effective mitigation solutions where necessary, thereby ensuring sustainable fisheries in accordance with our responsibilities for environmental protection. 5. Furthermore, Northern fulmar populations in the UK, particularly in the north and west of Scotland, have shown significant decreases in numbers since the 2000 Seabird Census, with reductions of 36% across the UK between then and 2018 . These negative population trends are most likely driven by a combination of factors including: reduction in fishery discards, incidental bycatch in fisheries and to a lesser degree, changes in prey populations. 6. Consequently, there is a need to improve our understanding of seabird bycatch in Scottish longline fisheries, including where, when and how the bycatch is occurring, along with the factors that could be influencing these observed rates. It is also necessary to explore potential solutions in order to balance the sustainability of our fishing industry whilst protecting biodiversity and the environment.