Fish farm nets kill purple heron at Basai wetland

Shilpy Arora| TNN | Updated: Jun 23, 2018, 02:12 IST

GURUGRAM: A purple heron, a wading bird that nests around wetlands, died in the Basai marshes earlier this week allegedly after getting entangled in nets put up by illegal fish farming units — the incident coming to light about two weeks after a black-necked stork was spotted with its beak stuck in a plastic ring in the area.

The bird, reportedly an adult one with a height of five feet, was found dead on Monday morning, a couple of days after some senior forest officials visited the spot (last Friday) and promised steps to protect the wetland that is home to numerous species of indigenous birds.

Dr. Indranil Halder, a birder from Noida, who had first spotted the bird, said, “It was so shocking to see such a big, magnificent bird entangled in fishers’ nets. Illegal fishing has become a major threat to birds in Basai. Though I spotted only one bird, I am sure many birds fall prey to these nets but they are removed immediately to hush up the incidents.”

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Net entanglements now a major problem for South African seabirds

Despite huge success in reducing the incidental catch of seabirds in fishing nets, there’s been reports that an old type of vessel used in South Africa is still posing serious threats to seabirds. 

The Albatross Task Force (ATF) has been highly successful in achieving a remarkable reduction in the incidental catch of seabirds in the South African hake trawl fishing industry through the introduction of bird-scaring lines; a simple and affordable solution. These lines act as visual deterrents to prevent cable strikes. 

Despite these overwhelming achievements, there is a vessel class of side trawlers which is still posing a serious threat to seabirds. The side trawlers are some of the oldest vessels in South Africa’s demersal trawl fishery. These vessels haul catch over the side, rather than over the stern. The nets are also deployed over the side with the trawl warps passing through two blocks suspended at the stern. Hence trawl dragging is actively done from the stern. 

Net entanglement is a major problem when the net stays loose on the sea surface for longer periods, for example during hauling and setting. Diving birds, mainly Cape Gannets can become trapped in the mesh of the net. Side trawlers are of special concern many because of the hauling process where loose net floats for a longer period compared to that of stern trawlers. 

Evidence of this interaction by South African vessel, was captured on camera by our former Albatross Task Force leader Barry Watkins on one of his trips however we do yet have a clear idea of the magnitude of the issue in South Africa. 

Currently there are no particularly successful mitigation measures to reduce the risk of seabirds becoming entangled in these nets. The current best practice advice suggested by ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels) is aimed at reducing the attractiveness of the net to seabirds and limiting the time the net remains of the water surface. 

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