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Reducing accidental catch could benefit both fish and fisherman
By Laine Welch
Alaska Journal
14th June 2004
Conservation groups are casting global nets to find new ways to reduce bycatch in fishing gear. And they are paying big cash prizes for the best ideas.
BirdLife International of Spain was the first to launch an international "Contest of Ideas" two years ago, aimed at discovering the best means of keeping sea birds away from hook and line gear. Birds will dive for the baited hooks and are dragged underwater and drown.
That contest featured a grand prize of 18,000 Euro (about the same in U.S. dollars), and attracted more than 80 entries from 11 countries.
Following that, last month the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced its international Smart Gear competition at the fourth world fisheries congress in Vancouver with a grand prize of $25,000, and two runners up payouts of $5,000. The Smart Gear contest, which began on June 1, covers three categories: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises), sea turtles and "non-target" species, including fish that are too small. The contest is designed to stimulate voluntary, market-based solutions to the global problem of bycatch, said Tom Grasso, director of WWF's marine conservation program.
Scientists estimate, for example, that more than 300,000 cetaceans die each year from getting entangled in fishing gear, primarily gillnets. Pacific leatherback sea turtles could be extinct in 20 years unless a way is found to keep them away from hook and line gear.
Grasso said the WWF believes the best solutions come from collaboration.
"When you put the ingenuity, creativity and understanding of fishermen, scientists and conservationists together, you often come up with much better solutions than if they are sitting across the table in political negotiations," he said in a phone interview.
"It's about fishing smarter and fishing safer. We are not looking to point fingers at anybody. We're looking to find fishermen, who I believe have some of the most creative ideas, to come up with solutions that will benefit them and the wildlife. Scientists and gear makers can help refine the ideas and make them more broadly applicable."
Partners and judges for the Smart Gear contest include the American Fisheries Society, National Fisheries Institute, NOAA Fisheries and several others. The contest is open to anyone 18 years and older.
Deadline to enter is Dec. 31. Entry forms are available at www.smartgear.org.
Stinky winner
A simple, stinky oil slick concoction took top honours as the best way to keep sea birds away from baited longline hooks. BirdLife International announced that Alex Aitkin of New Zealand and Peter Robinson of Australia shared the 18,000 Euro first prize. Both independently submitted the same idea of dripping mashed fish liver grease onto the water from a vessel's stern while it is setting out its gear. The stinky mixture, which is stored in a container for a few days, creates an oil slick on the surface long enough to allow the baited hooks to sink beyond the reach of diving seabirds. Aitken told the New Zealand Herald the birds seem to know the smell of the mixture and avoid it like the plague. He added that the birds probably don't like to get their feathers soaked by the stinky grease. The men suggest using two to three quarts per 1,000 hooks. When used along with streamer lines to scare the birds away, it's almost 100 percent effective, they said.
Birdlife International's Carles Carbonera commended the winners for coming up with a solution that is cheap, reliable and environmentally friendly.
"However, we must be careful and make sure it doesn't have any negative effects, so we invite all fishermen to test the idea and to tell us their experiences," he said.
Indeed, the stinky oil slick idea has turned the noses of some sceptical seabird biologists who call the avoidance concept controversial.
"I have heard concerns about the birds being oiled and it potentially having a negative impact on their ability to thermo-regulate," said NOAA Fisheries seabird biologist Kim Rivera.
Sea birds are a big issue for Alaska, where an estimated 10,000 to 27,000 are accidentally hooked by longline vessels each year. The biggest concern by far is the endangered short-tailed albatross. If just six albatross are taken within a two-year period, groundfish and halibut fisheries can be shut down.
Free pinks lure visitors
Local residents are hoping to attract more visitors to Valdez with one of the region's most abundant favourites: pink salmon. Fewer tourists have been visiting Valdez in the past few years, due in part to tighter security at the trans-Alaska pipeline terminal. A few years ago, for example, nearly 100 cruise ships docked at Valdez, but last year only 16 made the stop. Dave Cobb of the Valdez Fisheries Development Association believes more visitors can be lured down the Alaska Highway with the promise of a free, fresh or frozen pink.
The plan calls for motorists to get a coupon at Buckshot Betty's restaurant at Beaver Creek, the last town in Canada before the highway crosses into Alaska. Cobb said he expects to give away at least 1,000 pink salmon. "If we get that many people to come to Valdez and spend a few days, it's a real economic boost to our community," he said.
Along with attracting more tourists, Cobb said the idea is to get people to eat more salmon, and to think differently about pinks. "It is just as good as any other salmon. We want to tell their story and get people to look at pinks differently than just in a can. That's our real goal," he said.
Cobb said response to the promotion has been incredible. "It's made MSNBC, USA Today - people are already showing up asking for fish, even though we won't have any until June 28," he laughed.
The pink salmon giveaway will continue through Labor Day.
Kodiak-based free-lance writer Laine Welch can be reached via e-mail at msfish@alaska.com.
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