Threat Abetment Plan for the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations (2018).

Threat Abetment Plan for the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations (2018) has the objective to further reduce the seabird bycatch and bycatch rate during oceanic longline fishing operations in the Australian Fishing Zone.
The objective of this threat abatement plan is to be achieved through six key actions: 1) Mitigation – effective measures will continue to be applied, both through legislative frameworks and fishing practices, to avoid seabird bycatch or minimise seabird bycatch and bycatch rates, recognising the importance of other factors such as safety, practicality and the characteristics of the fishery. 2) Education – results from data analysis will continue to be communicated throughout the community, stakeholder groups and international forums, and programs will continue or be established to provide information and education to longline operators. 3) International initiatives – advocacy in international conservation and fisheries management forums in support of global adoption of seabird bycatch mitigation measures across the range of affected seabird species including trigger and other limits, and effective bycatch and other threat mitigation methods that are complementary with those outlined in this threat abatement plan. 4) Research and Development and Uptake – continued support of research into developing and reviewing the efficiency, effectiveness and uptake of new and improved mitigation measures. 5) Innovation – innovation in ‘bird friendly’ fishing measures and devices will continue to be encouraged. 6) Data collection and analysis – data will be collected and analysed to assess the performance of this threat abatement plan including mitigation measures and to improve knowledge of seabird-longline interactions and the conservation status of seabirds.
The Plan binds the Commonwealth and its agencies in responding to the impact of longline fishing activities on seabirds, and identifies the research, management and other actions needed to reduce the impacts of this key threatening process on affected seabird species.