Download AEBR 340 Video observation of the FMA 1 bottom longline fishery in 2020–21 and 2021–22

The ‘petrel project’ continued the use of on-board cameras to monitor seabird captures in the small-vessel bottom longline fishery off the north-east of New Zealand. Results demonstrated the value of the video observation data in providing data that were representative of the fishery, and the importance of assessing the variation between reviewers in their ability to make observations from the footage. Footage was reviewed to May 2022 and, for the first time, included reviewing footage from the winter months (June– October) in addition to the November–May period when black petrels and flesh-footed shearwaters are breeding in the area. Models using the video observation data estimated 40 black petrel captures, and 159 flesh-footed shearwater captures, in all bottom longline fishing in Fisheries Management Area 1 during the 2021–22 fishing year. The estimated captures of black petrels were lower than previous estimates, which were based on observed data only, but estimated captures of flesh-footed shearwaters were similar. Additional blind reviews were carried out of footage where captures occurred to allow estimation of reviewer skill. Of the five reviewers involved in the project, two reviewers detected over 90% of the seabird captures, but one reviewer detected fewer than 50% of the captures.