Wildlife

Long-tailed Duck Welfare: Marine Diving Habitat

The long-tailed duck is a deep-diving sea duck of Arctic and subarctic seas whose welfare is threatened by entanglement in fishing nets and climate-driven habitat change.

Key Facts

Long-tailed ducks can dive to depths of 60 metres, making them among the deepest-diving ducks
They winter on open seas around northern coasts and in the Baltic Sea
EU long-tailed duck populations have declined by over 75% since the 1990s, primarily in the Baltic Sea
Entanglement in set gillnets is a major mortality cause, particularly in Baltic herring and salmon fisheries

Welfare Considerations

Gillnet entanglement causes drowning death, a welfare event of particular concern for a diving species adapted to prolonged underwater excursions. Baltic Sea eutrophication from agricultural runoff has degraded benthic invertebrate communities the ducks depend on for food. Oil spills during severe weather cause fatal feather soiling and hypothermia. The species' IUCN status has deteriorated to Vulnerable.

What You Can Do

Support Baltic Sea gillnet regulations that protect long-tailed ducks
Advocate for Baltic Sea nutrient reduction through agricultural policy reform
Support seabird bycatch monitoring and reduction initiatives in Baltic fisheries
Donate to Wetlands International and BirdLife International working on Baltic seabird conservation