Seabird bycatch is a global issue, particularly in gillnet fisheries, with over 400,000 birds caught annually. In the North Atlantic lumpfish fisheries, diving sea-ducks like common eiders, king eiders, and long-tailed ducks are frequently entangled. Greenland’s bycatch of common eiders is estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 annually, but accurate data is lacking.
This project will quantify bycatch using research sampling and interviews with local fishers, providing the first nationwide estimates for the lumpfish fishery. It will assess the impact on seabirds, especially eiders and long-tailed ducks, as well as on mammals such as ring seals and harbor porpoises and fishes such as spotted wolffish and Atlantic halibut. Additionally, the project will establish a North Atlantic geographical baseline of trace elements from feathers to identify which common eider breeding stocks are impacted and propose management actions to reduce sea duck bycatch.
Duration: 24 months
