Wild Albatross Bycatch: Longline Fishing Tragedy

Albatrosses are drowning on longline fishing hooks at catastrophic rates, with 19 of 22 species now threatened largely due to this single human-caused mortality source.

Key Facts

An estimated 100,000 albatrosses are killed on longline fishing hooks annually
Birds dive for baited hooks and become hooked and drowned as lines sink
19 of 22 albatross species are now threatened or endangered primarily from bycatch
Simple mitigation measures including tori lines and setting hooks at night reduce bycatch by over 90 percent
Albatrosses do not breed until 10 years old and raise only one chick every two years — losses are devastating
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels coordinates international bycatch reduction

Welfare Considerations

Albatross drowning on longline hooks is one of the most preventable large-scale wildlife welfare disasters in current operation. The death itself — drowning entangled on a hook — is prolonged and distressing. The population consequences compound the individual welfare harm: with slow reproduction, each adult that dies represents a multi-decade welfare loss to the population as breeding individuals are not replaced. The solution is known, inexpensive, and effective — tori lines, weighted lines, and night-setting eliminate the vast majority of albatross bycatch. The persistence of this slaughter reflects regulatory failure and insufficient enforcement, not technical impossibility.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs requiring albatross-safe longline fishing practices
Support international agreements requiring bycatch mitigation on all longline fishing vessels
Advocate for mandatory use of tori lines and night-setting in longline fisheries operating in albatross range
Donate to organizations working on albatross bycatch reduction and population monitoring
Engage with fisheries certification bodies to strengthen albatross protection standards