Longline fishing kills thousands of albatrosses annually as birds dive for bait on hooks, with 15 of 22 species now threatened with extinction partly from fisheries bycatch.
Albatrosses caught on longline hooks drown while struggling to free themselves or are brought up injured and exhausted during line hauling. Injuries include hook penetration of the bill, throat, and stomach causing pain and infection. Birds that survive hook ingestion may die slowly from internal injuries at sea. Wounded birds that escape with hooks may be unable to feed effectively, causing prolonged starvation. The welfare burden from longline bycatch extends across millions of seabirds of multiple species globally.