Tens of thousands of seabirds including albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters die annually as bycatch in longline and gillnet fisheries. Proven mitigation measures exist but are inconsistently adopted.
Seabird bycatch causes death by drowning — birds dive for bait on longlines and become hooked, pulled underwater, and drowned. This is a preventable welfare harm that also drives conservation crises for already threatened species. The mitigation technology is simple and inexpensive — tori lines, underwater setting, night setting, and line weighting. The barrier to adoption is primarily awareness, regulation, and enforcement rather than cost. International fisheries agreements that mandate mitigation in high-risk areas have demonstrated substantial reductions. Consumer pressure on retailers to source only from fisheries with verified seabird bycatch mitigation creates commercial incentives for adoption.