Tens of thousands of seabirds including albatrosses and petrels are drowned annually on longline fishing hooks, making bycatch one of the leading drivers of seabird population decline.
Seabird bycatch causes death by drowning — birds that dive for bait are hooked and pulled underwater as the line sinks. Death is not instantaneous and likely involves significant distress. The cumulative toll across decades has driven multiple albatross and petrel species toward extinction. The welfare tragedy is compounded by the fact that proven, affordable mitigation measures can reduce seabird bycatch by over 90%. The barriers to adoption are regulatory and compliance-based rather than technical. Consumer and retailer pressure on fishing companies to require bycatch mitigation as a certification condition has proven effective in accelerating adoption faster than regulation alone.