Seabird Bycatch: Albatross and the Longline Crisis

Longline fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds including albatrosses and petrels annually through incidental bycatch, threatening some of the worlds most long-lived birds.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 seabirds including 100,000 albatrosses are killed in longline fisheries annually
19 of the 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction
Albatrosses can live for over 60 years and raise only one chick every two years
Simple mitigation measures including bird-scaring lines and night setting can reduce seabird bycatch by over 90%

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds attracted to bait and offal around fishing vessels dive after longline hooks and become caught, drowning as the lines sink. Birds die by drowning, which causes distress before death. Albatrosses and petrels that lose breeding partners to bycatch experience reproductive failure as these species pair for life. Population recovery from bycatch is extremely slow given their low reproductive rates. The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) coordinates bycatch mitigation efforts. BirdLife International coordinates the Save the Albatross campaign. Simple mitigation measures including weighted lines, tori lines, and night setting are known, inexpensive, and effective but adoption remains incomplete.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from fisheries certified by the MSC with seabird bycatch mitigation requirements
Support BirdLife International Save the Albatross campaign
Advocate for mandatory seabird bycatch mitigation across all longline fishing fleets
Donate to organizations monitoring albatross breeding populations
Support international fisheries agreements including ACAP seabird mitigation requirements