[OANNES Foro] Ocean sentinel albatrosses locate illegal vessels and provide the first estimate of the extent of nondeclared fishing

[Mario Cabrejos]

PNAS 

January 27, 2020

 <https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915499117>
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915499117 

Ocean sentinel albatrosses locate illegal vessels and provide the first
estimate of the extent of nondeclared fishing

Henri Weimerskirch, Julien Collet, Alexandre Corbeau, Adrien Pajot, Floran
Hoarau, Cédric Marteau, Dominique Filippi, and Samantha C. Patrick

Significance

New technological approaches to improving remote surveillance of the oceans
are necessary if we are to implement effective conservation. Of particular
concern is locating nondeclared and illegal fisheries that dramatically
impact oceanic ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that animal-borne,
satellite-relayed data loggers both detected and localized fishing vessels
over large oceanic sectors. Attraction of albatrosses to fishing vessels
differed according to species and age. We found high proportions of
nondeclared fishing vessels operating in international waters, as well as in
some remote national seas. Our results demonstrate the potential of using
animals as Ocean Sentinels for operational conservation.

Abstract

With threats to nature becoming increasingly prominent, in order for
biodiversity levels to persist, there is a critical need to improve
implementation of conservation measures. In the oceans, the surveillance of
fisheries is complex and inadequate, such that quantifying and locating
nondeclared and illegal fisheries is persistently problematic. Given that
these activities dramatically impact oceanic ecosystems, through
overexploitation of fish stocks and bycatch of threatened species,
innovative ways to monitor the oceans are urgently required. Here, we
describe a concept of “Ocean Sentinel” using animals equipped with
state-of-the-art loggers which monitor fisheries in remote areas.
Albatrosses fitted with loggers detecting and locating the presence of
vessels and transmitting the information immediately to authorities allowed
an estimation of the proportion of nondeclared fishing vessels operating in
national and international waters of the Southern Ocean. We found that in
international waters, more than one-third of vessels had no Automatic
Identification System operating; in national Exclusive Economic Zones
(EEZs), this proportion was lower on average, but variable according to EEZ.
Ocean Sentinel was also able to provide unpreceded information on the
attraction of seabirds to vessels, giving access to crucial information for
risk-assessment plans of threatened species. Attraction differed between
species, age, and vessel activity. Fishing vessels attracted more birds than
other vessels, and juveniles both encountered fewer vessels and showed a
lower attraction to vessels than adults. This study shows that the
development of technologies offers the potential of implementing
conservation policies by using wide-ranging seabirds to patrol oceans.

 

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