Marine Animal Welfare

Marine Welfare: Seabird Bycatch in Longline Fisheries Advanced

Longline fishing is one of the greatest threats to seabird populations globally, killing hundreds of thousands of birds annually through incidental capture.

Key Facts

Longlines set for tuna and toothfish attract seabirds to surface-set baited hooks
Albatrosses and petrels are particularly vulnerable due to their foraging behaviour
An estimated 100,000 or more albatrosses are killed by longlines each year
Simple mitigation measures like bird-scaring lines reduce bycatch by over 90%
Many at-risk seabird species are extremely long-lived with slow reproduction

Welfare Considerations

Death by longline drowning causes significant suffering for individual birds. Given the extreme longevity and slow breeding rates of albatrosses and petrels, even small reductions in annual mortality have large population-level effects. Widespread adoption of proven mitigation measures could reverse population declines rapidly.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified under schemes requiring seabird bycatch mitigation
Support seabird conservation charities working on longline bycatch
Advocate for mandatory bycatch mitigation in international fisheries agreements