Seabird Bycatch: Welfare and Conservation at Sea

Longline and trawl fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds annually as bycatch. Albatrosses and petrels are particularly affected, with many species now endangered due to fishing mortality.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 seabirds including 100,000 albatrosses are killed as bycatch in longline fisheries annually.
15 of the world's 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction, primarily due to longline bycatch.
Bird-scaring lines, night setting, and weighted hooks significantly reduce seabird bycatch in certified fisheries.
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) coordinates international mitigation efforts.
South Georgia and Falkland Islands longline fisheries have achieved near-zero seabird bycatch through mitigation measures.

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds hooked on longlines drown after being dragged underwater, suffering acute distress before death. Bycatch mortality is particularly devastating for albatrosses and petrels because these species have low reproductive rates — one egg per year — meaning populations cannot recover quickly from elevated adult mortality. The welfare harm is both acute (drowning) and population-level (species decline affecting millions of birds over decades). Technical mitigation measures are effective and cost-neutral; the barrier is adoption in unregulated or poorly-monitored fisheries.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from fisheries with certified seabird bycatch mitigation measures.
Support BirdLife International's Albatross Task Force working on bycatch mitigation.
Advocate for mandatory seabird bycatch mitigation in all national and international fisheries agreements.
Donate to organizations monitoring seabird populations and advocating for fishing reform.
Follow ACAP updates on albatross and petrel conservation progress.