Save the Albatross

Scale of problem (back to top)

Dying at a rate of around one every five minutes, the albatross family is becoming threatened faster than any other family of birds. Eighteen of the 22 species of albatross are globally threatened with extinction, an increase from just seven in 1994.

Albatrosses are being killed in such vast numbers that they can't breed fast enough to keep up, putting them in real danger of extinction.

Without help, losses could become so great that recovery may never be possible for these majestic ocean wanderers.

Albatrosses face a wide range of threats, on land and at sea, a number of which are highlighted below.

Longlining

By far the biggest threat faced by albatrosses is death on longline fishing hooks. Industrial-scale longline fishing is a fairly recent addition to open-ocean fishing techniques. As the name suggests, it involves very long lines of baited hooks - a single vessel may use a line extending for 80 miles (130 km), from which can hang as many as 10-20,000 hooks, each baited with a piece of fish or squid.

Every year longliners set about three billion hooks, killing an estimated 300,000 seabirds every year, of which 100,000 are albatrosses. 

There are two main methods of longlining, one used near the surface to catch fish species such as tuna, the other sets lines closer to the seabed.

The slaughter of seabirds takes place when the hooks are still visible near the sea's surface. Foraging birds spot them and try to grab the bait before it sinks. They are hooked, dragged under, and drowned. When the line is pulled in, the dead bird is removed and discarded – a poor outcome for the fishermen, who would rather catch fish.

Trawl haul

Work carried out by Falklands Conservation (BirdLife in Falkland Islands / Malvinas) has shown significant numbers of seabirds are being killed in trawling and gill-net fisheries, particularly around New Zealand, southern Africa and South America. Recent data showed that in one year 12,000 albatrosses were killed in a South African trawl fishery alone.

There are two main causes of this seabird bycatch; entanglement in nets, and collisions with cables. Evidence suggests more birds are killed by the cables.

Simple, effective and cheap solutions (back to top)

Simple and inexpensive mitigation measures can be highly successful in reducing seabird bycatch, especially when used in combination. 

BirdLife have produced a series of 14 Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Factsheets which describe the range of potential mitigation measures available to reduce seabird bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries. The sheets assess the effectiveness of each measure, highlight their limitations and strengths, and make best practice recommendations for their effective adoption. They are designed to help decision-makers choose the most appropriate measures for their longline and trawl fisheries.

Please click a link below to download a Bycatch Mitigation Factsheets:

• Introduction to mitigation measures
• Streamer lines
• Line weighting – external weights
• Integrated weight longlines
• Line weighting – Chilean system
• Night-setting
• Underwater setting shute
• Steamer lines 
• Line weighting
• Side-setting
• Blue-dyed bait (squid)
• Bait caster and line shooter
• Haul mitigation
• Warp strike
• Net entanglement

Download all factsheets (zip file, 1.8 MB)

BirdLife’s Albatross Task Force (back to top)

To promote the mitigation measures BirdLife International and the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) formed the world’s first team of dedicated instructors to demonstrate the correct use of mitigation measures to fishermen, and to develop and test new measures. The team is called the Albatross Task Force (ATF). 

As an international team of mitigation experts, the Albatross Task Force works at the frontline of seabird conservation in seabird bycatch ‘hotspots’ throughout southern Africa and South America. One of its great strengths is the local knowledge that underpins its international focus. Recruiting and training local mitigation experts provides a unique response to the urgent need to reduce seabird bycatch on a global scale.

Teams were initially established in countries with the highest conservation priority in terms of seabird bycatch and those countries which had solid BirdLife links and support structures in place. Once these initial teams were in place (South Africa and Brazil) other teams were established based primarily on conservation priority. The ATF is now active in seven countries and we plan to mirror this success across the southern hemisphere and beyond.

Seabird Success (back to top)

The Albatross Task Force began operationally in 2006 and it’s already having success around the globe:

For every 100 albatrosses being killed in fisheries in South African waters in 2006, 85 are now being saved thanks to the efforts of the Albatross Task Force working with the government and the fishing industry.

In the south of Chile, the incidental capture of seabirds was reduced from over 1,500 birds in one year to zero through the adoption of modified fishing gear.

In Argentina the use of mitigation in the trawl fishery has shown that it is possible to reduce seabird mortality to close to zero.

In Brazil the voluntary adoption of simple bird-scaring lines has helped reduce incidental capture of seabirds by 56%.

How to help (back to top)

There are many different ways you can help BirdLife’s Save the Albatross Campaign. From giving a regular donation, to buying a fluffy albatross or requesting a set of albatross postcards, every action will help in our fight to prevent albatrosses from becoming extinct. If you want to help, please click here.

ATF Blogs (back to top)

Campaign Partners (back to top)

All these organisations are working together to help albatrosses.

• Aves Argentinas (BirdLife in Argentina)
• BirdLife South Africa (BirdLife in South Africa)
• Birds Australia (BirdLife in Australia)
• Falklands Conservation (BirdLife in Falklands / Malvinas)
• Forest and Bird (BirdLife in New Zealand)
• LPO (BirdLife in France)
• Projeto Albatroz
• RSPB (BirdLife in the UK)
• SEO (BirdLife in Spain)
• SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal)
• Vogelbescherming Nederland (BirdLife in the Netherlands)
• The Wild Bird Society of Japan (BirdLife in Japan)
• Wild Bird Federation of Taiwan (BirdLife in Taiwan)