Bycatch mitigation, habitat conservation and marine biodiversity will be among the key issues to be discussed at the World Seabird Conference 2026 (WSC4) in Hobart, Australia 7-11 September.
The Common Oceans Tuna Project will contribute to WSC4, which is organized by the World Seabird Union, a non-profit international organization committed to protecting seabirds and their marine habitats. The theme of the conference is “Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate”.
Scientists, policymakers, conservationists and fisheries stakeholders from around the world will discuss biology and ecology as well as advances in seabird conservation, including measures to reduce interactions with fishing operations and strengthen collaboration across sectors.
Held every five years, the conference will also examine broader pressures impacting seabird populations, including avian influenza, climate change and pollution.
Joseph Zelasney, the coordinator of the Common Oceans Tuna Project, said:
“The conference is a timely opportunity and a valuable forum for scientists and other stakeholders to come together and consider the impacts and issues affecting seabirds in a changing global environment, including fisheries.”
The Common Oceans Tuna Project is a global partnership led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to advance the sustainable use of marine resources and biodiversity conservation informed by science.
The FAO-led project works with regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), non-governmental organizations and scientists on regulatory measures to reduce seabird bycatch and promote practical mitigation measures to stop seabirds and other marine animals from being accidentally caught in fishers’ nets and lines.
The project aims to make the enforcement of fisheries regulations more efficient by building capacity and training in monitoring, control and surveillance, while improving compliance with fishing regulations and promoting the use of innovative tools like electronic monitoring and traceability systems.
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Collaboration is crucial for addressing seabird bycatch
“It’s only through collaboration with interested parties and promoting best practices through international partnerships that we can address some of the urgent challenges facing seabird populations,”
Zelasney said.
Jonathon Barrington, Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, said:
“We aim to support seabird scientists from across the world to gather with colleagues and discuss research and innovation related to the conservation of albatrosses and petrels, and other seabirds and their marine environment.”
The WSC4 conference is taking place as FAO convenes the 37th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in Rome 7-11 September.
COFI is an important forum that coordinates global efforts to mitigate the accidental capture of non-target species through frameworks like the FAO Technical Guidelines to Prevent and Reduce Bycatch of Marine Mammals in Capture Fisheries.
Ross Wanless, a bycatch mitigation expert and WCS4 attendee, who collaborates with the Common Oceans Tuna Project, noted some of the pressing issues to be discussed at the Hobart conference.
“The standout issue for seabirds is their conservation status, and the standout concern is fisheries interactions and bycatch, with plastic pollution an emerging but poorly understood threat,”
Wanless said.
“Collaboration is fundamental. Many talks and entire sessions are devoted to sharing perspectives on how seabird conservation efforts can be made more effective, including those linked to the Common Oceans Tuna Project.”
Meanwhile, a major new assessment, funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Common Oceans Program, will be released soon on the impacts of pelagic longline fisheries on seabirds in the Southern Hemisphere. The assessment was conducted by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) with a particular focus on vulnerable species such as albatrosses and petrels. Wanless will speak about the findings of the CCSBT study at the Hobart conference.
Ahead of WSC4, Stephanie Borrelle, the Pacific marine regional coordinator for BirdLife International, said:
“The risk to some species of seabirds is critical and despite adopting conservation measures to address the issue, some albatross populations continue to decline.”
She added:
“Conservation measures informed by science must be strengthened and Regional Management Fisheries Organizations (RFMOs) must enforce and monitor existing regulations in their fleets.”
About the Project
The Common Oceans Tuna project brings together a global partnership dedicated to sustainable tuna fisheries aiming to advance responsible tuna fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond nation- al jurisdiction (ABNJ). Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it works in collaboration with five regional tuna fisheries management organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, and civil society.
Words by Josephine McKenna, FAO