Maltese fishermen help to keep seabirds off the hook

At the busy port of Marsaxlokk, as well as the usual haul of tuna, swordfish or lampuki, a more unusual catch is exchanging hands - data sheets. Fisherman Paul Bezzina is back from a hard night at sea and is delivering the information he has gleaned to a fisheries officer.

It's all part of the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project, which Mr Bezzina and nine other fishermen are working with to ensure that Maltese fishing boats are catching only fish and keeping seabirds off the hook.

When Mr Bezzina was approached by project partners the Malta Centre for Fisheries Sciences (MCFS) and Birdlife Malta to participate, he immediately agreed. The aim is to assess how many seabirds are being caught accidentally by the Maltese fishing fleet.

For Mr Bezzina, as for many Maltese fishermen, fishing is not just a job. He has a deep respect for the sea and that extends to the sea life the oceans support.

The EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater project gave him the chance to take action. The work that the participating fishermen are doing for the project is essential.

In some parts of the world, large numbers of seabirds, such as albatross, are hooked by fishing fleets as by-catch and this has resulted in 19 of the 22 species of albatross in the world being threatened with extinction.

There are no albatross in Maltese waters, but there are similar seabirds - the Yelkouan Shearwater (il-Garnija) and Cory's Shearwater (ic-Ċiefa). Since Malta has around 10 per cent of the world's breeding population of Yelkouan Shearwaters, finding out whether these birds are at risk from fishing in local waters is critical to their long-term survival.

Shearwaters can live for over 50 years and can only raise one chick per year, so if large numbers are being accidentally caught, this could cause a serious decline in their population.

The birds, especially Cory's Shearwaters, are at risk because they tend to congregate at the back of fishing boats hoping for a free meal. They don't realise that concealed in the bait is a fish hook, and once caught these birds are dragged underwater and drown. The last thing that a fisherman wants is to catch a bird - not only does this mean missing a fish, but it also snarls up the long lines and can result in costly delays.

In addition, as Mr Bezzina says, "where you find shearwaters, you find fish" - the birds act as guides to the best fishing zones.

Mr Bezzina's contribution to the project involves filling in sheets detailing his fishing activities and noting down any non-target species that he catches. The results of the study are still coming in, but the initial findings suggest that seabird by-catch may have been more of a problem in the past.

The Maltese fishing fleet is now employing techniques that help prevent seabirds getting hooked. These include fishing at night and setting lines from the side of the boat instead of the back so that the bait sinks before seabirds can get to it.

Although small numbers of birds do get caught, initial findings by the observer programme show that apart from seabirds, turtles are also vulnerable. The injured turtles that the project's marine observation teams have discovered at sea were sent to the Malta Centre for Fisheries Sciences for rehabilitation.

The involvement of Mr Bezzina and his colleagues in this work should help to ensure that shearwaters remain a common sight in Maltese waters for generations to come. The project team is now using the cooperation of Maltese fishermen as an inspiration to encourage fleets overseas to take up some of the mitigation techniques that are already being used in Malta.

The EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project is a partnership initiative with Birdlife Malta, Malta Centre for Fisheries Sciences, Armed Forces of Malta, Heritage Malta, Malta Maritime Authority, RSPB and SPEA. It is 50 per cent funded by the EU LIFE programme, with contributions from HSBC and Mepa.