Longline fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds annually as bycatch, with albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters particularly affected, making fisheries reform the single most important seabird welfare intervention.
Seabird longline bycatch is one of the most tractable large-scale wildlife welfare problems facing the ocean. The solutions are known, proven, and inexpensive: bird-scaring streamer lines, setting hooks below the surface, and night deployment together reduce seabird bycatch by over 95% in most fisheries. The obstacle is adoption across the many national and international fisheries that operate in seabird habitat. Southern Ocean fisheries management under CCAMLR demonstrates that mandatory measures work. Consumer preference for certified sustainable seafood provides a market incentive that complements regulatory requirements. Each albatross that drowns on a longline hook leaves dependent chicks that will starve in the nest without the returning parent.