Summary of autopsy reports for seabirds killed and returned from observed New Zealand fisheries: 1 October 1996 - 30 September 2005 with specific reference to 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05.
Summary of autopsy reports for seabirds killed and returned from observed New Zealand fisheries. Published 2008.

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Summary of autopsy reports for seabirds killed and returned from observed New Zealand fisheries (PDF, 1200K)

Summary

In the 9 years between 1 October 1996 and 30 September 2005, New Zealand Government fisheries observers returned 4055 seabirds incidentally killed aboard longline and trawl vessels. The birds returned represented 44 taxa, with 6 taxa making up 86.3% of returns. Birds were received from squid, scampi and fish trawlers (47.4%), domestic bottom (demersal) longliners (34.9%) and pelagic tuna longliners (17.7%).

During these 9 years, white-chinned petrels (n = 947), white-capped albatross (n = 876), sooty shearwaters (n = 711), grey petrels (n = 533), Salvin’s albatross (n = 247) and Buller’s albatross (n = 184) were the most commonly returned of the 44 taxa.

For each fishing type and fishery, a few of the fishing vessels were responsible for catching more than 80% of the birds returned for autopsy. Bird body condition (based on fat scores)
declined over the 9 years of returns.