1 Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. 2 Current address: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia. e.gallocajiao@uq.edu.au PACIFIC CONSERVATION BIOLOGY Vol. 20(3): ??–??. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Sydney. 2014. Evidence is required to address potential albatross mortality in the New South Wales Ocean Trawl fishery EDUARDO GALLO-CAJIAO 1, 2 To examine the current management of trawl fisheries is important to ensure albatross mortality is not being overlooked. By-catch of albatrosses in trawl fisheries occurs cryptically, which has hindered the development of conservation policy. The implementation of tasked seabird observer programmes in trawl fisheries, nevertheless, has shown that albatross mortality can happen at threatening levels. Consequently, mitigation measures have been developed and adopted in some trawl fisheries. Despite this, some trawl fisheries lack clear policy in relation to albatross mortality. In this context, I investigated the management of potential albatross mortality in a state trawl fishery, the New South Wales Ocean Trawl, in Australia. I conducted a literature search and addressed a set of questions to the responsible management agency through questions on notice at the State Parliament of New South Wales to understand albatross interactions from a policy standpoint. My results indicate that current policy neither encompasses albatross mortality nor is evidence-based. However, the combination of characteristics of this fishery and its overlap with albatross occurrence, along with the reported albatross mortality from other trawl fisheries, may warrant the need to collect empirical evidence on potential albatross interactions. Hence, the responsible management agency should take action according to legal obligations. In this scenario, I recommend the implementation of a tasked seabird observer programme, collection of baseline data, and adoption of adaptive management by the examined fishery. As uncertainty can hamper conservation efforts because management actions require evidence, it is imperative to fill current information gaps in this fishery. Additionally, an improved understanding of albatross mortality from individual trawl fisheries across different fisheries management jurisdictions will enable the prioritization of conservation efforts of this avian taxon in an international and multi-gear fishing context. Key words: albatross, trawl fisheries, seabird by-catch, Australia, evidence-based policy, threatened species INTRODUCTION DESPITE the mounting evidence that interactions with trawlers are a source of albatross (Aves: Diomedeidae) mortality, recognition of this issue by fisheries management has lagged. The detection of albatross mortality in longline fisheries (Brothers 1991) was contemporary to those of trawl fisheries (Bartle 1991); however fisheries management has traditionally devoted most attention to the former, neglecting the latter (Croxall 2008). This has been particularly evident in Australia (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Commun- ities 2011a), where pelagic longline fisheries have been recognized as a key threat to seabirds at Commonwealth level since 1995 (Department of the Environment and Water Resources 2006), whereas trawl-related mortality of seabirds has been addressed only since 2011 by Common- wealth fisheries management (Woodhams and Vieira 2012). Any delay to address albatross by- catch in trawl fisheries is no longer justifiable when mortality rates from such fisheries may be comparable to those from longline fisheries (Baker et al. 2007; Watkins et al. 2008; Abraham and Thompson 2011) and mitigation measures have become available (e. g., Sullivan et al. 2006a; Bull 2009; Pierre et al. 2012a, b). Trawl-related mortality has affected the disproportionate number of threatened species of albatross. Of the 22 species of albatross, 15 are currently listed under one category of threat at a global scale (IUCN 2013), of which at least seven are killed by trawl fishing gear worldwide (i. e., Argentina, Australia, Falkland/Malvinas Islands, New Zealand, and South Africa) at varying degrees (Bartle 1991; Sullivan et al. 2006b; González-Zevallos et al. 2007; Watkins et al. 2008; Waugh et al. 2008; Phillips et al. 2010; Favero et al. 2011). Fishing related mortality has had detrimental effects on albatross populations (Wanless et al. 2009); this is exacerbated by their life history, which is characterized by long life spans, delayed maturity, and low reproductive rates (Baker et al. 2002; Arnold et al. 2006). Therefore, even if mortality rates from individual fisheries are low, their cumulative effect over larger spatial and temporal scales may result in population declines (Baker et al. 2007). Although often cryptic, trawl interactions are a significant source of albatross mortality (Bartle 1991; Baker et al. 2002; Croxall 2008; Waugh et al. 2008; Abraham 2010). High mortality rates of albatrosses associated with trawlers were initially identified as a consequence of collisions with the net-sonde cable (Bartle 1991), the wire that transmits data from underwater acoustic devices to on-board monitors in order to inform the fishing process (Simmonds and MacLennan 2005). Nevertheless, subsequent studies have also identified the warps (i. e., the cables towing the