Wild Albatross Welfare: Conservation of Long-Lived Seabirds

Albatrosses are among the longest-lived birds, with lifespans exceeding 70 years. Despite their resilience, they face severe threats from longline fishing, plastics, and climate change.

Key Facts

There are 22 species of albatross, 15 of which are threatened with extinction
Longline fishing kills an estimated 100,000 albatrosses per year as bycatch
Albatrosses travel millions of kilometers over their lifetimes, crossing entire ocean basins
They can live over 70 years — Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, hatched a chick at age 72
Plastic ingestion is a major cause of chick mortality as parents feed plastic fragments to offspring

Welfare Considerations

Albatross welfare is inextricably linked to ocean health. Longline bycatch causes drowning deaths and serious hook injuries. Plastic pollution accumulates in the gut, preventing chicks from developing properly. Introduced rats and cats at nesting colonies devastate eggs and chicks. Climate change shifts prey distributions, increasing foraging effort for breeding adults. Invasive predator removal on nesting islands has shown dramatic population recovery. International fishing agreements with bird-scaring lines have reduced bycatch significantly where adopted.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by schemes that require bird-scaring lines on longliners
Support BirdLife International's Save the Albatross campaign
Reduce plastic use to decrease ocean plastic pollution that harms albatross chicks
Donate to island restoration projects that remove invasive predators from nesting sites
Advocate for international adoption of longline bycatch mitigation measures