Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
they congregate at roosts and loafing areas. These sites require both protection and management to maintain their value to seabirds.
3.11.6 Additional Information In 1999, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed the International Plan of Action for reducing seabird bycatch in longline fisheries (FAO 1999) that called on longline nations to assess their impact and implement mitigation regulations where necessary. Since the development of that plan, best practice guidelines have been developed to facilitate creation of national plans of action by individual countries and to provide a framework from which to implement those plans at the level of regional fisheries management organizations (FAO 2008; Yeh et al. 2013) . The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was established in 2001 to achieve and maintain favorable conservation status for albatrosses and petrels through research, monitoring, reduction of incidental mortality in fisheries, eradication of nonnative species at breeding sites, reduction of disturbance and habitat loss, and reduction of pollution (Cooper et al. 2006) . Thirteen countries (known as Parties to the Agreement) have joined the ACAP. The United States is not currently a party to the agreement. Recommendations on bycatch mitigation, conservation guidelines, management plans, and data resources may provide information that can be applied to species of regional concern. Birds Caribbean is an international network that helps partners achieve shared conservation goals, publishes a peer-review journal, and provides a platform for sharing best practices. The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is an open source journal published biannually; issues are available online at https://jco.birdscaribbean.org/index.php/jco/issue/archive. 3.11.7 Recommendations Implement conservation measures and recommendations in protected species conservation plans. Measures that protect a large and diverse group of populations are the best way to ensure that species can survive future stresses and adapt to changing climate conditions. Implement conservation measures and recommendations in protected species conservation plans. 3.11.7.1 Surveys Surveys are systematic and scientific methods of collecting information about the distribution, abundance, and ecology of wildlife or their habitats in a specific area at a specific time. Repeated surveys using the same methods can provide census information about a species over time. Distributional and status surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining or mainly dependent on at-risk or sensitive natural communities. General surveys are needed to complete primary distributional status for all priority species (see Table 3-20 in Appendix 3).
3 - 163
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator