1. A Highly Endangered Species In 1995 freezer-longliners took two short-tailed albatrosses on baited hooks. The world population of these birds was 900 at the time - 90% of which nest on a violently active volcanic island off Japan. The short-tailed albatross is the most highly endangered seabird in the North Pacific and is listed under the Endangered Species Act. 2. Immediate Industry Action The North Pacific Longline Association (NPLA), a member of the Marine Conservation Alliance (MCA), immediately searched worldwide for examples of seabird avoidance regulations. Using CCAMLR (Antarctic) regulations as a model and drawing on the knowledge of longline fishermen, the association prepared DRAFT seabird avoidance regulations and presented them to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC). The NPFMC voted to implement the regulations by emergency rule.

Photo courtesy of Hiroshi Hasegawa

3. Cooperative Research
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) issued a biological opinion calling for research to test the effectiveness of the seabird avoidance regulations. The NPLA joined with the Washington Sea Grant Program to test seabird avoidance techniques on vessels participating in the commercial longline fishery over a period of two years. Millions of hooks were set in the most extensive experiment of this sort ever undertaken. Streamer lines suspended behind the vessels and meeting specified performance standards were found to be 88% to 100% effective in deterring seabird interactions. The USFWS, the NPFMC, and NOAA Fisheries also supported this effort. The U.S. Coast Guard has been most helpful in the publicizing and enforcing the seabird avoidance regulations.

4. Results
The first seabird avoidance regulations were implemented in May of 1997. And amended regulations requiring the use of streamer lines were approved by the NPFMC and implemented in 2004. The USFWS established a program to supply the fleet with free streamer lines, and the longline fleet has deployed them voluntarily. Since the first full year of regulations the freezer-longliner fleet, which is responsible for most seabird takes off Alaska, has reduced its take by more than 80%. Employment of internally weighted groundlines is expected to bring further reductions in the future. The short-tailed albatross population is growing at nearly its biologically maximum rate, and has now reached 1,800.

The MCA and NPLA petitioned Congress for an appropriation to fund the activities of the Short-Tailed Albatross Recovery Team (START), dedicated to protecting and delisting the species. This cooperative effort by industry, academia, and federal agencies stands as a model for managing protected species.