Seabird Bycatch: Albatrosses and Petrels in Fishing Gear

Longline and trawl fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds annually. Simple mitigation measures including tori lines, weighted hooks, and night setting could prevent most seabird bycatch deaths.

Key Facts

An estimated 300,000 seabirds including 100,000 albatrosses die in longline fisheries annually
19 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction; longline bycatch is a primary driver
Tori lines (streamer lines) scare birds away from baited hooks during setting and reduce bycatch by 70-90%
Night setting reduces seabird attacks on hooks since most albatross species do not forage at night
Weighted branch lines sink hooks below the diving depth of albatrosses more quickly, reducing capture opportunity
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) coordinates international bycatch reduction
South Africa and Brazil have made significant progress reducing albatross bycatch through mandatory mitigation measures
Trawl fisheries kill seabirds through cable strikes and net entanglement; mitigation including bird-scaring devices reduces mortality

Welfare Considerations

Seabird bycatch welfare involves drowning deaths and injuries from hook penetration that cause real suffering in highly intelligent, long-lived birds with complex social lives. Albatrosses mate for life, raising a single chick every other year; the loss of a breeding adult from bycatch leaves a bereaved mate and disrupts decades of reproductive potential. The welfare case for bycatch reduction is strengthened by the availability of proven, inexpensive mitigation measures that can reduce bycatch by 70-90%. The failure to adopt these measures universally is a regulatory and compliance failure rather than a technical limitation. Consumer pressure and certification requirements are driving adoption in some fisheries.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from MSC-certified fisheries that require seabird bycatch mitigation measures
Support the Save the Albatross campaign by BirdLife International that advocates for mandatory bycatch mitigation
Advocate for national regulations requiring tori lines and other proven mitigation in longline fisheries
Donate to BirdLife International and ACAP programs funding seabird bycatch monitoring and mitigation
Ask retailers about seabird bycatch mitigation requirements in their longline seafood supply chains
Engage fishing industry associations about the reputational and regulatory benefits of proactive bycatch reduction