National Plan of Action 2016. Seabirds Mitigation Measures in Indonesian Tuna Longline Fisheries.

This National Plan of Action moves from the concerns about the negative impact of longline fisheries on seabirds bycatch and on their conservation status, due to an increasing need and international recommendations for conservation and management of seabirds population. Therefore, this National Plan of Action’s objective is to enhance conservation and management measures of seabirds by promoting international cooperation to reduce the mortality of seabirds, and it applies to all Indonesian tuna longliners operating in the territorial waters and in the high seas, as well as to Indonesian and foreign vessels undertaking longline fishering in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Country.
After a review of the current status of Indonesian fisheries related to incidental catch of seabirds, defining different longline fisheries and vessels admitted and the spatial distribution of longline fishing activity, the National Plan focuses on mitigation measures for reducing incidental catch of seabirds, to be implemented according to the Indonesian law in the waters under jurisdiction of Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, and voluntarily in the high seas and within the EEZ of the Country. The National Plan provides for suggestions to improve data collection on seabirds bycatch for assessing the status of incidental mortality of seabirds and the effectiveness of mitigation measures. Research and development plans to reduce incidental catch and improve mitigation measures are implemented, taking account specific objectives; education and training sessions for operators of fishing vessels are conducted in order to raise awareness regarding conservation and protection of seabirds. In order to better achieve its goals, the National Plan also prescribes Indonesia to actively cooperate with other states and the international specialist organisations involved and focused on seabirds protection.