Alaska Trawl Fisheries: Potential Interactions with North Pacific Albatrosses

摘要

One objective of this report was to provide NMFS with estimates of warp and third-wire effort by target fishery, large geographic region and vessel type for Alaska trawl fisheries to fulfill their required reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). A second objective was to provide information that will guide future investigations of the extent and significance of seabird cable strikes in the Alaska fisheries and inform the development of mitigation technologies and practices, should they be necessary. This latter objective prompted the addition of the following elements in this report: A description of Alaskas trawl fleets; Information regarding third-wire use in Alaska trawl fisheries; Albatross distribution and overlap with trawl fishing effort and a brief review of documented seabird-fishery interactions; and Recommended priority areas for future seabird interaction investigations.