Seabirds including albatrosses, gannets, puffins and shearwaters are caught and drowned as bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries worldwide. Bycatch mitigation technology can dramatically reduce this welfare impact.
Seabirds caught on longlines are dragged underwater while still alive and drown over several minutes. Trawl bycatch involves entanglement in nets, physical injury and drowning. Both represent preventable welfare harm — the technology to reduce bycatch substantially is available and cost-effective. UK fisheries management should mandate bycatch mitigation on all vessels operating in seabird-rich waters.