Seabird Bycatch from Longline Fishing: Solutions Available

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds — including albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters — are killed annually as bycatch on longline fishing hooks, despite proven solutions being widely available.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 seabirds are killed on longlines each year
22 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction
Seabirds dive to take bait from hooks as lines are deployed from vessels
Bird-scaring lines, weighted lines, and night-setting reduce bycatch by up to 99%
Several fisheries have achieved near-zero seabird bycatch through mandatory mitigation

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds caught on longlines experience acute suffering. Hooked birds are dragged underwater, drowning while attached to the line. Some are not found immediately and drown only when the line is hauled. Albatrosses and petrels are long-lived, slow-reproducing species — the loss of a single breeding adult represents decades of lost reproduction and social bonds. Chicks starve when provisioning adults fail to return. The welfare and conservation case for mitigation is overwhelming.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council with seabird bycatch conditions
Support campaigns by BirdLife International's Albatross Task Force
Advocate for mandatory seabird mitigation in all national and international fishing agreements
Donate to seabird conservation organizations working in high-risk fisheries regions
Contact your government fisheries authority to ask about seabird bycatch monitoring and mitigation requirements