Seabird Bycatch in Longline Fisheries

Seabirds including albatrosses and petrels are caught on baited longline hooks and drown in enormous numbers; simple mitigation measures can dramatically reduce this mortality.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 seabirds are killed as longline bycatch annually including 100,000 albatrosses
19 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction partly due to longline bycatch
Bird-scaring lines (tori poles), night setting, and weighted lines reduce seabird bycatch by 90%
Most major fishing nations have signed agreements to reduce seabird bycatch but implementation is inconsistent

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds caught on longline hooks face drowning, an unambiguously severe welfare outcome for birds physiologically adapted to aerial life. Albatrosses are particularly affected due to their surface-feeding approach to baited hooks. The mitigation measures available are technically straightforward, affordable, and demonstrably effective — the gap is one of regulatory will and enforcement rather than technical capacity. Individual seabird drowning is a welfare harm that can be prevented almost entirely at modest cost.

What You Can Do

Support seafood certified under schemes requiring seabird bycatch mitigation
Advocate for mandatory tori pole and weighted line requirements in longline fishery regulations
Donate to conservation organisations monitoring albatross and seabird populations