Seabird Safe Awards 2005

Charles Hufflett of Solander Fisheries, Nelson

Solander Fisheries were one of the first companies in New Zealand to begin systematically collecting and reporting incidental seabird captures and mortality and they made deploying tori lines standard within their fleet long before it became mandatory.

"The New Zealand fishing industry, like every industry, is often measured publicly by the performance of the worst. In the case of seabird bycatch, all the good work, by so many, can seem to be undone in a single incident. But this issue shouldn't deter our continued efforts to fine tune and improve techniques and systems now in place. Some say that seabirds are getting smarter! The only certainty is that attitude and technical improvements at sea remain the key to success in reducing, even further, potential seabird interaction."