Seabird Bycatch: Welfare and Conservation Intersect

Thousands of seabirds are killed in fishing gear annually. Simple mitigation measures can dramatically reduce this preventable mortality.

Key Facts

An estimated 200,000-320,000 seabirds are killed annually as bycatch in longline fisheries worldwide.
Affected species include albatrosses, petrels, gannets, and auks; 15 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction.
Seabirds are attracted to baited hooks and become caught when diving for bait as longlines are set.
Simple mitigation measures including tori lines (bird-scaring streamer lines), underwater bait setting, and night-setting reduce seabird bycatch by 80-99%.
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) coordinates international seabird bycatch reduction efforts.
Some fisheries have mandatory bycatch mitigation but compliance monitoring is often inadequate in high-seas fisheries.
Seabird bycatch is highest in toothfish, tuna, and trawl fisheries in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific.
BirdLife International's Albatross Task Force deploys mitigation advisers on fishing vessels to train crews and demonstrate effectiveness.

Welfare Considerations

Seabirds caught in longlines or trawls suffer significant welfare harm during capture. Hooked birds may drown before being hauled aboard or may sustain wing and body injuries; even birds released alive often die from their injuries. The prolonged suffering of entangled seabirds is real and preventable. Mitigation measures exist, are proven, and are inexpensive relative to the value of the catch. The persistence of seabird bycatch at scale reflects inadequate regulation, poor compliance monitoring, and insufficient fishing industry incentives to adopt mitigation. Consumer choices of MSC-certified seafood with seabird bycatch provisions, and advocacy for mandatory mitigation requirements, create the regulatory and market pressures needed for systemic change.

What You Can Do

Choose MSC-certified seafood from fisheries with seabird bycatch mitigation requirements.
Support BirdLife International's seabird conservation and bycatch reduction campaigns.
Advocate for mandatory adoption of proven bycatch mitigation in all longline fisheries.
Support ACAP and international fishery management bodies in their seabird protection work.
Report suspected illegal fishing activity, which often lacks bycatch mitigation, to relevant authorities.
Reduce consumption of species with high bycatch rates in target fisheries.