Wild Albatross Conservation and Longline Bycatch

Albatrosses are among the world's most endangered seabirds, drowning on longline hooks while diving for baited hooks across the Southern Ocean.

Key Facts

19 of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction primarily due to longline fishing bycatch
Longlines extending 100 km with thousands of hooks attract albatrosses diving for bait
Simple mitigation measures including tori lines, night setting, and line weighting reduce bycatch by 90%+
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) coordinates international mitigation efforts
Albatrosses have the lowest reproductive rates of any bird - typically one egg every 1-2 years
Introduced rodents on breeding islands kill chicks and eggs, compounding fishing mortality
Wandering albatrosses range across 120,000 km2 of ocean making them highly exposed to fishing vessels

Welfare Considerations

Albatrosses drowned on longline hooks experience acute drowning after being dragged below the surface. The slow reproductive rate means each adult death represents potentially 50+ years of future breeding lost. Chick starvation on islands with rodent predation is prolonged suffering. Conservation mitigation tools are proven effective and inexpensive but require international coordination and enforcement across ocean jurisdictions to protect albatrosses ranging across multiple national waters.

What You Can Do

Support Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International albatross campaigns
Advocate for mandatory longline bycatch mitigation measures in all Southern Ocean fisheries
Choose tuna and swordfish certified by MSC or similar standards with bycatch mitigation requirements
Donate to eradication programs removing invasive rodents from albatross breeding islands
Learn about albatross biology and their extraordinary ocean wandering to build conservation support
Support ACAP implementation and funding for comprehensive albatross conservation coordination