Wild Animals

Wild Albatross Bycatch and Conservation

Albatrosses have the lowest reproductive rate of any bird and are devastated by longline fisheries bycatch, making each individual death a major conservation and welfare concern.

Key Facts

19 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction primarily due to longline bycatch
Approximately 100,000 seabirds including albatrosses are killed on longline hooks annually
Albatrosses raise a single chick every two years and may live over 60 years in the wild
Simple mitigation measures including weighted lines, bird-scaring streamers, and night setting reduce bycatch by over 90%
Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, is the world oldest known banded wild bird at over 70 years old

Welfare Considerations

Albatrosses hooked on longlines drown, suffering before death. Hook penetration and drowning cause obvious welfare harm. The loss of adult albatrosses leaves dependent chicks to starve on breeding colonies. Chicks that survive without a parent to return face prolonged starvation before death. The adoption of bycatch mitigation measures is both a conservation and a direct welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from fisheries certified as seabird-safe by the Marine Stewardship Council
Support organisations like BirdLife International working on seabird bycatch reduction
Advocate for mandatory bycatch mitigation measures in all longline fishing regulations
Donate to albatross conservation programmes working directly with fishing fleets
Educate others about the devastating impact of longline bycatch on albatross populations