Fishers, distributors, and consumers: working together to reduce seabird bycatch (Part 1)

BirdLife International is an international environmental NGO working to conserve birds and their ecosystems. As a member of the organization, Yasuko Suzuki is in charge of the issue of seabird bycatch in Japan.

We spoke to Suzuki about how he came to work at BirdLife International and his current activities.

19 years in the United States dedicated to studying birds

--How did you get involved in working with birds?

After graduating from a university veterinary medicine department, I worked as a doctor at a veterinary hospital in Japan. After that, in 1999, I moved to the United States to pursue my childhood dream of working with wild animals.

After completing his training at Washington State University Animal Hospital, he went to the University of Minnesota's School of Veterinary Medicine's Raptor Center, where he treated hundreds of injured and sick birds, some of which were brought there every year.

--Why did you change direction from birds of prey to seabirds?

While studying in the US, I wondered what kind of birds I should study to be useful in Japan in the future, and I thought there would be a connection between seabirds, as some species migrate between Japan and North America.

I also realized that to work with wildlife, I needed to learn not only about the animals themselves but also about the environments and ecosystems they live in, so I went on to graduate school to study seabirds at the population level.

He first went to the University of California, Davis, where he earned a master's degree studying pelicans, and then moved to Oregon State University, where he earned a doctorate studying seabirds.

--What kind of research did you do at Oregon State University?

I was conducting research related to the problem of seabirds that have lost their breeding grounds and congregate in a river, where they end up eating large amounts of young salmon in that river.

What I felt at the time was that the polarization between those who want to protect fish and those who want to protect seabirds was hindering efforts to solve the problem. I realized that we need to view humans as part of the problem.

After completing his doctoral studies at Oregon State University, he continued his research there for several years before returning to Japan in 2018 and joining BirdLife International.

As an American researcher, he also participated in a penguin ecological survey in Antarctica.

Research and dialogue to reduce seabird bycatch

--What kind of activities does BirdLife International undertake?

We are working to address the issue of seabird bycatch. Seabird bycatch has been reported in a variety of fishing methods, but we are particularly focusing on gillnet and longline fishing.

Gillnet fishing, which is set up along the coast, involves setting up a curtain-like net in the sea, which catches seabirds that dive to catch fish. It is estimated that around 40 birds worldwide are killed every year, including tufted puffins, common murres, auks, and cormorants.

There are currently no effective measures in place to combat bycatch in gillnet fishing.

--It seems that bycatch in gillnet fishing is difficult to prevent.

Yes. So we are collecting basic data with the cooperation of fishermen in Haboro and Tomamae towns in Hokkaido. In Japan, there is no obligation to report the amount of bycatch in gillnet fishing, so we don't know the exact figures. So we are currently working to understand the actual situation.

Additionally, the Kasai Rinkai Aquarium in Tokyo is home to common murres and tufted puffins, which are easily caught as bycatch in gillnet fishing, and we are developing new countermeasures there.

All of these efforts to combat bycatch in gillnet fisheries are being carried out in collaboration with researchers from Hokkaido University.

Photo courtesy of Kasai Rinkai Aquarium. Kasai Rinkai Aquarium is developing new measures to prevent bycatch.

--Please tell us about the current situation regarding bycatch in longline fishing and measures to deal with it.

Longline fishing is a fishing method in which multiple branch lines with hooks and bait at the end are attached to one main line to catch tuna and other fish. Albatrosses and large shearwaters are caught as bycatch by swallowing the hooks and other fish every year, with the number of birds being over 1 each year (Source:https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v14/n2/p91-106) is estimated.

Longline fishing image (Rachel Hudson Illustration)

Effective measures to prevent bycatch in longline fisheries have already been established, and the world's five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have established international rules for preventing bycatch.

Longline fishing is conducted in a variety of ocean areas, but the areas where Japanese fishing boats operate, particularly in deep-sea and coastal waters, overlap with the habitats of seabirds that are easily caught as bycatch.

So we start by talking to fishermen. They tell us what measures they use to prevent bycatch, whether they find them useful or not, and what concerns they have.

Bycatch is still little known in Japan. Activities to raise awareness

--I think most ordinary Japanese consumers don't know about seabird bycatch. How much awareness is there in Japan about seabird bycatch?

Fishermen are well aware of bycatch because it actually happens in the field. The Fisheries Agency also participates in the international conference of five tuna RFMOs, so I think they are keenly aware of the current situation of bycatch in Japan and the need for measures.

On the other hand, not many distributors or consumers are aware of this issue.

--What kind of efforts are you making with distributors and consumers?

For distributors, we hold seminars and webinars, give presentations at symposiums, and even have the opportunity to talk directly with the people in charge.Twitter,Instagram,FacebookWe are disseminating information under the account name "Southern Hemisphere Albatross Story."

The account name "Southern Hemisphere Albatross Story" was chosen to let people know that 22 of the 18 species of albatrosses live only in the Southern Hemisphere, which overlaps with the area where Japan's deep-sea longline fishing is conducted. The number of followers is increasing, which I think is helping to raise awareness.

Many photos are posted on social media to help people become more familiar with albatrosses (Stephanie Prince)

>>> Read Part 2

Yasuko Suzuki
After working as a veterinarian at a Japanese animal hospital, he moved to the United States and completed his training in wildlife medicine at the veterinary schools of Washington State University and the University of Minnesota. He then studied seabirds at the University of California, Davis, and Oregon State University, earning master's and doctoral degrees. He returned to Japan in 2018 and is now affiliated with BirdLife International.
BirdLife International:https://tokyo.birdlife.org
Email: yasuko.suzuki@birdlife.org

Interviewed and written by: Shino Kawasaki
After planning and editing corporate advertisements at a design office, she became a freelance writer, copywriter, and food coordinator in 2016. She writes for a variety of media, including women's magazines published by major publishers, food and beverage magazines and websites, and medical information websites.