Why do albatrosses need help?
Albatrosses are very beautiful birds which live in the southern oceans around Australia and South Africa. Unfortunately, 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.