Marine Life

Sea Bird Bycatch in Fishing Gear

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds including albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters drown each year after becoming entangled in longline fishing gear or caught in trawl nets.

Key Facts

Bycatch kills an estimated 160,000-320,000 seabirds annually according to conservation research
Albatrosses are among the most affected species, with 15 of 22 species now threatened or endangered
Simple measures like bird-scaring lines and weighted branch lines can reduce bycatch by 80-90%
Seabirds are slow reproducers, with many species raising only one chick per year
Some tuna and swordfish fisheries have achieved near-zero seabird bycatch through gear modifications

Welfare Considerations

Seabird bycatch causes suffering in two dimensions: the acute drowning or entanglement deaths of individual birds, and the population-level devastation of already-stressed species. Drowning in fishing gear is a prolonged death. The availability of proven mitigation measures makes this suffering largely preventable. Consumer demand for certified sustainable seafood and government requirements for bycatch reduction devices represent the most effective levers for change.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs that require seabird bycatch mitigation
Support organizations working on fishing gear modification and seabird conservation
Reduce seafood consumption from fisheries with documented seabird bycatch problems
Advocate for bycatch reduction device requirements in fisheries management
Learn which fishing methods pose the greatest risk to seabirds