ACAP's Seabird Bycatch Working Group commences discussions with a full programme in Ecuador

The ACAP Seabird Bycatch Working Group is meeting this week over three days at the Unipark Hotel, Guayaquil, Ecuador, before the Sixth Meeting of the Agreement's Advisory Committee takes place next week at the same venue.  The three-day meeting is being held under the co-convenorship of Barry Baker (ACAP Secretariat) and Anton Wolfaardt (United Kingdom).

The meeting, the fourth of the working group, is considering over 50 documents, available for public consultation on-line.

Anton Wolfaardt, Barry Baker, Warren Papworth and
Graham Robertson take the stage for the bycatch meeting

Attendees at the Seabird Bycatch Working Goup's 2011 meeting.
Photographs by John Cooper

Discussions are taking place on the following agenda items:

Pelagic Longline Bycatch Mitigation, Trawl Bycatch Mitigation, Demersal Longline Bycatch Mitigation, Gillnet Bycatch Mitigation, Artisanal Fisheries, Review of Bycatch Data provided by Parties, Bycatch Data Collection, Conservation Priorities, Development of Indicators, Coordination of activities relating to RFMOs, FAO IPOA/NPOA-Seabirds, Mitigation Fact Sheets, Risk Assessment, Review of Progress reports for ACAP funded Programmes, SBWG Work Programme, Work Programme 2010 - 2012, and Work Programme 2013 -2015.

The Working Group's report will be considered by the Advisory Committee meeting next week.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 23 August 2011

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

About ACAP

ACAP Secretariat

119 Macquarie St
Hobart TAS 7000
Australia

Email: secretariat@acap.aq
Tel: +61 3 6165 6674