Seabird Bycatch and Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Seabirds including albatrosses and petrels are killed in large numbers as bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries.

Key Facts

An estimated 320,000 seabirds die as bycatch annually in longline fisheries
Albatrosses are among the most threatened birds partly due to bycatch mortality
Birds are attracted to baited hooks as lines are set and become hooked and drown
Tori lines (bird-scaring lines) reduce seabird bycatch by up to 90%
Bird-friendly longline setting practices include night setting and weighted lines

Welfare Considerations

Seabird bycatch deaths by drowning are welfare-negative for individual birds and ecologically catastrophic for slow-reproducing species like albatrosses. Drowning causes significant distress and suffering. The good news is that bycatch mitigation measures are highly effective, low-cost, and increasingly required by fisheries certification schemes. The remaining challenge is enforcing adoption of these measures in all fisheries worldwide, particularly in international waters where monitoring is difficult.

What You Can Do

Choose fish from fisheries with seabird bycatch mitigation measures in place
Support organisations like BirdLife International monitoring and reducing seabird bycatch
Look for Marine Stewardship Council certification that requires bycatch monitoring
Advocate for international fisheries agreements requiring bird-friendly practices
Learn about the conservation status of seabird species affected by bycatch