Wildlife

Razorbill Welfare and Gill Net Bycatch

Razorbills are vulnerable to gill net bycatch as they dive to similar depths as the fish targeted by inshore fisheries.

Key Facts

Razorbills dive to 120m depth hunting fish and crustaceans
Gill nets set at depth intercept diving auks causing drowning
UK razorbill populations are classified as of conservation concern
They are found across the North Atlantic breeding on cliff ledges
Razorbills are closely related to the extinct great auk

Welfare Considerations

Razorbills caught in gill nets drown as air-breathing birds unable to surface. The experience of struggling in a net while unable to breathe represents extreme acute suffering. Injured birds that escape nets may have wing injuries preventing flight and feeding. Drowning mortality in gill nets affects multiple auk species including guillemots and puffins at significant scale, representing an ongoing fisheries bycatch welfare problem with limited monitoring.

What You Can Do

Support bycatch monitoring programs for seabirds in UK inshore fisheries
Advocate for time and area restrictions on gill net use near seabird colonies
Choose seafood from fisheries certified with low seabird bycatch
Donate to RSPB seabird conservation programs
Support funding for seabird bycatch mitigation research