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Do albatrosses stand a chance?
Albatrosses are among the world’s biggest birds. Their wings are
up to three and a half metres across and they use them to glide
silently over the sea looking for fish. These very beautiful birds
live in the southern oceans around Australia and South Africa. They
could become extinct because of the way people catch
fish.
Every year, 100,000 albatrosses are killed by very long fishing
lines, called ‘longlines’. These are used by fishermen who hunt
tuna and other fish. The lines are up to 80 miles long – that’s the
distance of three marathons! There are thousands of hooks on each
line. The birds are attracted to the bait on these hooks. Then they
are dragged under the water and drown.
Six countries have said they’ll try to stop this happening by
agreeing to a new set of rules about how they fish. This includes
the UK Government, as the UK owns islands and looks after the seas
in some of the places where albatrosses live.