CCAMLR

A shore-based design used to sample sports fisheries was adapted to sample otoliths from targetted individuals caught in the artisanal longline fishery for Dissostichus eleginoides off northern Chile. Observers were stationed dockside and at a processing factory. A 14-day sampling frame was used, divided into primary sampling units of days/area and secondary sampling units of three- and eight-hour periods. Compared to shipboard sampling, the design allowed more flexibility in allocation of observer effort and cut time wasted during poor fishing or travel to fishing grounds. However, data on catch date, location, and depth cannot be independently verified, nor data taken on by-catch or incidental mortality of higher predators.

The status of the worlds albatrosses are reviewed within the framework of the taxonomic changes proposed by Nunn et al. (1996) and Robertson and Nunn (this volume). The latest estimates of size of breeding populations (pairs) at all known localities of each of the 24 proposed species are presented; population trends are assessed where sufficient data are available. Despite increased efforts in population monitoring the status (i.e. population trends) of two-thirds of the worlds ca. 150 albatross populations remain unknown. For those that are known, almost half are declining. The threats currently facing each species are briefly reviewed. The best available evidence indicates that longline fishing is the most serious threat facing albatrosses today. Twenty of the 24 species are known to be killed on longline hooks, including rare and endangered species. Widespread implementation of appropriate mitigation measures is urgently required.