Wildlife

Pelagic Longline Seabird Bycatch

Pelagic longline fishing kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds annually, with albatrosses and petrels most severely affected.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000+ seabirds are killed in longline fisheries annually
Albatrosses are most vulnerable — 15 of 22 species are now threatened or endangered
Birds dive for bait hooks during line setting and drown
Three low-cost measures (bird-scaring lines, night setting and blue-dyed bait) can reduce seabird bycatch by 80-90%

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds caught on longline hooks drown — a distressing death involving struggle, entanglement and asphyxiation. For albatrosses, which mate for life and live up to 70 years, each individual death has large impacts on breeding pairs and dependent chicks. The solutions are well-known, inexpensive and highly effective — widespread adoption is primarily a matter of enforcement and industry will.

What You Can Do

Support BirdLife International's Save the Albatross campaign
Choose seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council
Advocate for mandatory seabird mitigation measures in longline fisheries
Donate to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels