As far south as you can go… this huge frozen landmass at the bottom of our planet is encircled by the vast Southern Ocean. Antarctica is a vast ice-covered landmass surrounded by sea unlike the Arctic, which is an ice-covered ocean surrounded by land. There are no trees, or shrubs, and only two kinds of native flowering plant.
Illegal fishing undoubtedly causes the death of huge numbers of seabirds that drown on long lines of baited hooks. We support licensed, well-managed sustainable fisheries. WWF is working to ensure that existing fisheries in the Southern Ocean are sustainably managed. After years of lobbying by ourselves and our partners, in we saw new regulations come into place that stopped vessels using or carrying heavy fuel oil in Antarctic waters. Spills of lighter-weight fuels could still happen, but at least it will evaporate and disperse more easily, and pose less danger to wildlife, like penguins and other seabird colonies.
Climate change is a global issue. Seabirds also collide with trawler net cables and break their wings falling to their death. Birds are also attracted to boats as crew throw the discarded fish offal into the sea. This is also prohibited in the Convention area. Introduced mice on Gough Island have impacted on numbers of Tristan albatross formerly considered a subspecies of Wandering Albatross as mice eat eggs and attack and kill chicks. By using satellite tracking in the early s scientists could learn about their foraging routes and just how much time they spend following commercial fishing boats.
Countries who have signed up to the treaty agree to work together to improve conservation status. This includes enhancing research and monitoring, reducing incidental mortality rates , eradicating non-native species at breeding sites and reducing habitat loss and pollution.
Streamer lines are ropes with brightly coloured plastic streamers attached. They can be used singly or in pairs and are deployed off the back of the fishing vessel so that the streamers flap in the area where the longline enters the water.
This method involves the attachment of heavy weights that pull the fishing lines down deeper into the water quickly. Although this method can reduce deaths of albatrosses, smaller seabirds such as petrels and shearwaters can dive more deeply to retrieve fish so they still get caught on the hooks.
By fishing at night, less albatross may be caught on the lines as they normally forage in the daytime. However other threatened species including white chinned petrels which are related to the albatrosses are still at risk as they forage during both daylight and darkness. Research by the British Antarctic Survey has shown that albatrosses spend a large amount of time following fishing vessels which increases their likelihood of being caught in the long lines.
One reason for this is a free dinner provided by fishermen who throw the bycatch non-target fish and remains of processed fish offal overboard. By keeping the bycatch and the offal on board, albatrosses may be less likely to follow boats and therefore less likely to get caught in the line hooks. Agreement and cooperation from the fishing industry is very important if these methods outlined above are to work. Stopping illegal fishing is also a priority as it is unlikely that pirate vessels will use any methods that reduce the numbers of birds ort other species eg turtles that are hooked and drowned.
There are other international agreements that help to protect the albatross including:. Imagine you work for a leading conservation group and are very concerned about the number of albatrosses which die each year in fisheries. Write a campaign letter to persuade fishermen to use methods that reduce by- catch of albatross.
Skip to content Menu. Sizing up Antarctica The world turned upside down? Measuring the ice Going back in time Antarctica: The frozen continent Oceans, atmosphere, landscape A changing climate Seasonal change The climate today The climate of the past The climate of the future Rising seas Making waves Glaciation So you think you know about glaciers?
It puts in place environmental principles to guide all activities in Antarctica, prohibits mining and mineral exploration and includes annexes relating to:. Why live in Antarctica? How many people? Protecting Antarctica Video transcript Australian Antarctic Division Senior Environmental Policy Officer Ewan McIvor Since the Treaty was signed in there was increasing recognition amongst the parties of the need to establish measures to protect the Antarctic environment.
It puts in place environmental principles to guide all activities in Antarctica, prohibits mining and mineral exploration and includes annexes relating to: environmental impact assessment conservation of fauna and flora waste disposal and waste management prevention of marine pollution area protection and management liability arising from environmental emergencies.
The Antarctic Treaty made the continent off-limits to military activity, but said nothing about oil drilling or mining. We won, and in the continent of Antarctica was protected from exploitation. There are also protected areas at sea. But over the last few years, international talks have stalled and huge areas of the Antarctic Ocean are still unprotected. As in the Arctic, climate change is having a greater impact on the Antarctic than other parts of the world.
The southern latitudes are warming three times faster than elsewhere and glaciers are melting faster than they form, raising global sea levels. Less sea ice means penguins have to swim further to find food. Krill are tiny crustaceans , a bit like shrimp, which are vital for almost all Antarctic life.
Climate change is causing problems for krill as well. They depend on the edges of the sea ice for food and shelter. Less ice means fewer areas in which krill can thrive.
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