Hundreds of thousands of seabirds are killed as bycatch in longline and gillnet fisheries annually. Bycatch causes acute suffering and has contributed to significant population declines in vulnerable species.
Seabird bycatch causes death by drowning, which is a distressing and prolonged dying process for birds that enter the water alive and entangled. The individual welfare harm is compounded by the population-level impact on species already under pressure from climate change, habitat loss, and invasive predators. The technology to dramatically reduce seabird bycatch exists and is inexpensive relative to the total costs of fishing operations. The barrier to adoption is largely one of regulatory requirement and industry norms rather than technical or economic feasibility. Consumer choice for certified sustainable seafood creates market incentives for fisheries to adopt bycatch reduction measures.