Graham Robertson, Ph.D.

Research

Graham Robertson has extensively researched seabird mortality from longline fishing in Chilean waters and has been working for many years on ways to reduce seabird deaths without affecting commercial fish catches. Robertson used his Pew fellowship to help save seabirds from becoming entangled in commercial fishing lines. In the oceanic waters off the coasts of Chile and Antarctica, tens of thousands of seabirds are killed annually in encounters with commercial fishing boats’ longlines, which are baited with fish that the birds try to eat. An estimated 3 billion longline hooks are set annually by commercial fishing vessels. More than 60 species of seabirds are vulnerable to becoming hooked or otherwise entangled in the fishing lines, and at least 24 of these species are threatened with extinction as a result. To learn more about Robertson, visit his bio online. http://www.antarctica.gov.au/law-and-treaty/australian-antarctic-medal/recipients/2012/dr-graham-robertson