The white petrel is a migratory bird that arrives in Chilean territory in spring to nest, with Mocha Island and the Juan Fernández Archipelago being its preferred areas. After its breeding process, the bird returns to the summer of the Northern Hemisphere. However, during breeding and migration, many die trying to feed on schools of sardines and anchoveta, caught in artisanal fishing nets.
This fact motivated the NGO BirdLife International-Codeff, through ATF-Chile, to start a project that would monitor these fleets in 2008, with Patricio Krause subsequently being invited to participate in it. His vast experience in the open sea and in the fishing art area was key to this invitation.
The pilot work included the modification of three artisanal vessels in Talcahuano. The results were positive, and seabird mortality was reduced, so the decision was to continue scaling up. This is how the project was presented to Blumar, a company that took on the challenge of joining the project, supporting engineering development and contributing economically with 75 thousand dollars to the modification of eight vessels in Valdivia, a space where the company maintains operations with close ties to artisanal shipowners.
Blumar’s Fishing Operations Manager, Enrique Cisterna, comments that the decision to participate was not easy; it was necessary to build trust and take a very high risk in this collaborative work. “Without a doubt, this fact has marked an evolution, a metamorphosis in us. Actively involving ourselves by focusing on protecting a seabird was something truly innovative for everyone, a contribution to our new way of looking at work and a change in the strategy of facing the challenges that the world imposes on us with a tendency toward balance hand in hand with more conscious production”, he highlighted.
It has not been an easy path. It is a very slow cultural change, as there are work forms and structures in fishing nets that are well-rooted, says Patricio Krause. Likewise, he adds that the intervention corresponds to the engineering of the fishing art. “The project contemplates changes in materials in the vessels, for example, reinetas (fabric that goes in the rope structure), zipper in the structure or borders, with an increased mesh size so that seabirds such as petrels and pelicans do not get caught in the net mesh, changes in percentages of net to reduce material waste, structures in the float line, as well as modifications in the lead line and reduction of height in the bags”.
Cristián Suazo, ATF Chile project coordinator, commented that monitoring has achieved close to 98% experimental reduction of bird capture at negative points of engagement with the fishing art. “What stimulates us the most is that we have designed a set of recommendations for mitigation measures that we want to share as a sign of trust in working collaboratively with Blumar. This highlights the key role of this company in achieving, but also promoting good practice standards in a proactive manner”, Cristián Suazo pointed out.