RSPB UK scientists are estimating that over 300,000 sea birds are dying per year due to the global impact of longline fisheries. The study, which was carried out alongside scientists from BirdLife International and will be published in the Endangered Species Research journal is a huge warning sign that there is still a long way to go to ensure responsible fishing globally.
Since the early eighties, the decline in albatross and other seabirds has been due to their accidental entrapment in longline fisheries. With lines that can be over a hundred kilometres long, sea birds are continually dragged underwater and killed, but the numbers that this is happening to is quite staggering.
Though there has been a reduction in bycatch numbers due to enforced regulations, the numbers still continue to grow due to fleet fishing, who’s data is not as forthcoming. Countries such as South Africa have managed to achieve a drop of 85% since 2008, thanks to a cap being placed on the number of bycatch deaths permitted. But more needs to be done by other countries around the world to put a stop to this staggering amount of innocent bird per year, as if this carries on, many of them could face extinction.
Senior policy officer for the Global Seabird Programme, Dr. Cleo Small, said –
Using simple bird-scaring lines and weighting of hooks as they enter the water could dramatically reduce the number of seabirds being killed. With the UK’s Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic holding a third of the world’s breeding albatrosses, the UK has a major responsibility to ensure seabird-friendly fisheries. As for the EU, the findings of this review place a heavy onus on the forthcoming EU Plan of Action for Seabirds to deliver a robust set of remedial measures capable of reducing the impact of longline and other fisheries on seabird populations in EU waters and beyond.
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