Hundreds of thousands of seabirds including albatrosses, petrels, and gannets drown in fishing gear each year, representing a major welfare crisis.
Seabirds hooked on longlines or caught in trawl nets experience traumatic injury and drowning. Many are pulled underwater and drown over minutes. Survivors with embedded hooks suffer infection, impaired feeding, and eventual starvation. The welfare impact affects both individual animals and breeding colonies, as adult mortality severely impacts chick survival.