Albatross populations are severely threatened by longline fishing bycatch that kills hundreds of thousands annually, causing significant individual suffering and population-level decline.
Albatross bycatch welfare involves drowning deaths that represent significant suffering, compounded by the population-level impact on species with extremely low reproductive rates. Each adult bird lost to longline bycatch represents a disproportionate conservation impact given their slow reproduction. The availability of effective bycatch mitigation measures — weighted lines, night setting, tori lines that scare birds from hooks — makes continued bycatch a preventable welfare failure. Fisheries operating without these measures when effective alternatives exist bear direct welfare responsibility for albatross deaths. Regulatory requirements for mitigation measures on all vessels operating in albatross habitat represent the most effective intervention.