Albatrosses are among the longest-lived and most wide-ranging seabirds, yet longline fisheries bycatch is driving population declines in multiple species. Simple fishing gear modifications can dramatically reduce albatross mortality.
Albatross bycatch welfare involves both the individual suffering of birds killed or injured by longline gear and the population-level welfare implications of breeding adult removal from species with very low reproductive rates. Albatrosses that take baited hooks are typically killed by drowning as the line sinks with them attached — an acute welfare harm experienced by individually identifiable, long-lived individuals that may have surviving chicks at nest sites awaiting their return. The population welfare impact of breeding adult removal is amplified in albatrosses by their life history: albatrosses do not breed until 8-10 years of age, produce only one chick per breeding attempt, and may live 60+ years — meaning that each adult lost to bycatch represents decades of future reproductive contribution lost. The striking aspect of albatross bycatch is how tractable the problem is: bird-scaring lines, weighted branch lines, and night setting are inexpensive, proven-effective interventions that fisheries in some regions have adopted with dramatic results. The barrier is compliance and enforcement across the diverse global longline fleet, particularly vessels operating in areas with weak fisheries governance.