Seabird Bycatch: Drowning on Longlines

How commercial longline fishing kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds annually and the technical solutions that can eliminate this bycatch.

Key Facts

Approximately 300,000 seabirds are killed on longlines each year
Albatrosses and petrels are most affected due to their foraging behavior around baited hooks
The wandering albatross is one of the longest-lived bird species and cannot sustain high adult mortality
Bird-scaring lines, night setting, and weighted lines with reduced bait exposure dramatically reduce bycatch
BirdLife International and fishing industry partnerships have achieved major reductions in some fisheries

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds caught on longlines drown as they dive for baited hooks and are dragged underwater by the sinking line. This is a distressing death for birds well adapted to diving but not to prolonged underwater submersion. Albatrosses, with reproductive rates of one chick every two years at best, cannot sustain even modest adult mortality from bycatch. The technical solutions to seabird bycatch - bird-scaring lines that keep birds away from deploying hooks, setting lines at night when seabirds are less active, using streamer lines - are proven, inexpensive, and widely available.

What You Can Do

Support BirdLife International's seabird bycatch reduction programs
Choose tuna and other longline-caught fish from fisheries with seabird bycatch mitigation
Advocate for mandatory bird-scaring lines and other mitigation measures in longline fisheries
Support regional fishery management organizations that include seabird bycatch standards
Raise seabird bycatch as a welfare and conservation issue with seafood retailers