Workshop: “Necropsy of seabirds”
March 3rd, 2017
In Viña del Mar, at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Universidad Santo Tomás, the workshop “Necropsy in seabirds” was held.
The activity was organized by the NGO Oikonos Ecosystem Knowlegde and its objectives was: to train and deepen the necropsy technique of seabirds, to strengthen the links between the different entities and researchers involved in the study of bycatch and conservation, depending on the institution of the participants. It also allowed identifying common goals, opportunities for collaboration and sharing experiences.
It was attended by representatives of Servicio Nacional de Pesca (Sernapesca), Servicio Agrícola Ganadero (SAG); Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP), and other entities associated with conservation and biodiversity.
This activity was carried out by Jessie Beck, who is in charge of the Laboratory of Necropsy of seabirds in the State of California, USA. She works for the NGO Oikonos Ecosystem Knowlegde, an organization that has been working in Chile for more than 12 years in projects for the conservation of the Fárdela Blanca (Ardenna creatopus), pelagic seabird in danger of extinction.
The workshop was focused on evaluating the biological characteristics of the individuals analyzed as a cause of mortality, as well as knowing the reproductive states, characteristics of feathers to differentiate ages and presence of plastics, among others. This initiative is part of the need in Chile to learn more about the mortality of birds that are occurring both in strandings and in incidental fishing in different fleets. It should be noted that there are some species that are in danger of conservation and this type of information allows to better understand the causes of mortality, to learn from their biology and to give recommendations to reduce their interaction in fisheries in the fishing case.
In this activity were present the professionals of the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, Verónica Alcaino scientific observer of the Project Monitoring of Highly Migratory Resources; Dr. Rodrigo Vega and Luis Adasme, researchers of the Department of Fisheries Evaluation.
The researcher Rodrigo Vega commented “the information obtained through the necropsy technique, can give us important background that contribute to the knowledge and identification of the possible causes of death of these birds, as well as possible solutions to be implemented in the framework of the Research Program of Disposal in Siege Fisheries, finally contributing to the presentation of mitigation measures for the interaction of this man activity with these species.
Luis Adasme explained that “the practical work done during the workshop allowed to know and deepen the technique of necropsy in seabirds, as well as to be aware of the protocols currently used in other research centers associated with the detection of causes of deaths of these birds.”