Razorbills are auk family seabirds that dive to pursue fish underwater, making them highly vulnerable to entanglement in gill nets set in the same zones they hunt.
Razorbills that enter gill nets drown in a highly distressing manner - unable to surface, they struggle until exhaustion and death. Oil contamination destroys feather structure, causing hypothermia and slow starvation. These are serious, prolonged welfare harms affecting thousands of birds annually. Improved net marking, seasonal fishing restrictions in key feeding areas, and rapid oil spill response are the most effective welfare interventions.