Action urged to protect European seabirds

Urgent action is needed to protect Europe's seabirds, including the critically endangered Balearic shearwater, from being caught and killed by fishing gear, conservationists demanded yesterday.

The RSPB and BirdLife International estimate some two million birds have been perished on baited hooks and in fishing nets in the 10 years since the European Commission first promised to take action to halt the "slaughter".

In other parts of the world, rules which require fishing vessels to take simple steps, including hanging streamer lines over long line fishing tackle to scare off birds, have seen mortality rates tumble.

In South Africa, the number of seabirds caught as "bycatch" in the inshore fishing fleet has dropped by 84 per cent since 2006 as a result of bringing in protective measures.

But the conservation groups said the European Commission has dragged its feet over bringing in an action plan to help seabirds.

Among the birds most at risk is the Balearic shearwater, which is increasingly seen off the coast of Britain - possibly as a result of climate change pushing its food sources further north.

Despite increased sightings in UK waters, the shearwater has seen numbers decline considerably in the past three decades, and the RSPB warns the bird - one of the rarest regularly visiting Britain - could be lost within a generation if action is not taken.

Euan Dunn, head of marine policy at the conservation charity, said measures to cut the number of birds killed were often straightforward, such as flying streamer lines above the long fishing lines or weighing lines down so they sink more quickly before the birds can get caught on them.

But he said the Commission failed to give the issue of seabird by catch sufficient priority for its fishing vessels.

He added there was no obligation from member states to report on the number of birds killed accidentally by fishing vessels.

And not enough work was being done on developing measures where there were currently no technological fixes, such as protecting seabirds from gill nets, he warned.

"As long ago as 2000, the European Commission promised to take action to halt the slaughter of seabirds by its own fishing vessels, at home and abroad, but 10 years and two million seabird corpses later, we are still waiting for any action."