The Albatross Task Force
Facing extinction
Albatrosses are stunning, long-lived seabirds that spend much of their lives soaring over the ocean. Inevitably, this lifestyle brings them into contact with fishing vessels. Sadly, they’re often accidentally captured in fishing gear (known as bycatch), and this is driving population declines: 15 of the 22 albatross species are now threatened with extinction.
Albatross Task Force
The Albatross Task Force – an international team of seabird bycatch mitigation experts led by the RSPB and BirdLife International – is on a mission to reduce seabird bycatch by 80% in some of the deadliest fisheries for albatrosses.
By working both on board vessels, showing fishing crews simple ways to stop killing seabirds, and with government to implement regulations, we’ve demonstrated that things can drastically change for the better. South Africa has been a shining example of how this is can work, with an astounding 99% reduction in albatross deaths since our team started there in 2006!
With your support, we can save 50,000 seabirds from a needless death every year.
What's the problem?
Albatrosses mainly feed on squid and fish on the surface of the water, so foraging for bait or discarded fish around fishing vessels mirrors their natural behaviour. Sadly, for many it's their last meal.
Trawl vessels discard offal (fish heads and guts) as they process their catch. This attracts albatrosses, which can smell this free meal from 12 miles (20 km) away, bringing them dangerously close to the trawl cables towing the net through the water. As they engage in a feeding frenzy behind the vessel, they can be fatally struck by these cables and dragged under by them.
Albatrosses and other seabirds also scavenge on baited hooks set by longline vessels. This bait is used to target larger fish species, but as it takes some time to sink to its fishing depth, scavenging albatrosses can attack the baits, get caught on the hooks and, ultimately, drown.
Fixing the problem
Simple and inexpensive activities, known as bycatch “mitigation measures” are highly effective in preventing these unintentional deaths in trawl and longline fisheries:
- Bird scaring lines
Bird-scaring lines (also known as tori lines) are lines with colourful streamers that can be towed behind fishing vessels to scare birds away from baited hooks or trawl cables. - Night setting
Fishing at night can significantly reduce seabird bycatch, since most seabird species don’t actively forage in the dark. - Line weighting
Adding weights to longlines makes baited hooks sink faster. This reduces the window of opportunity for foraging seabirds to attack the baits and get caught.
Researching new mitigation measures
As well as encouraging fleets to follow these “best practice” mitigation measures, we’re also working with our target fleets to develop new mitigation measures, and troubleshoot problems with existing measures.
Download the Towards Seabird-Safe Fisheries (13 MB) leaflet for more information.
The ATF’s target fleets and the species we’re saving
With your help we can make trawl and longline fisheries safer for seabirds across the world; and we can find new ways of reducing bycatch.
Please donate today to help save the albatross from extinction.
Blog
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Behind the Scenes of Grey-Headed Albatross Tracking – Filling Knowledge Gaps
Bird Island. An exposed, raw, isolated island in South Georgia. Although only under 5km in length and reaching 800m at its widest point, this island gets its name for a reason. Bird Island is home to four of the world’s 22 albatross species so you...
Posted 30 Sep 2019 by stephaniewinnard -
Behind the scenes of #AlbatrossStories: An interview with one of our Albatross Task Force human stars
While our five, feathered stars on #BirdIsland occupy most of #AlbatrossStories, our human stars work tirelessly behind the scenes to improve the protection of these birds from dangers they face both on land and at sea. We spoke with Albatross Tas...
Posted 15 Aug 2019 by Nina da Rocha -
Glide into the danger zone
How tracking technology is improving our understanding of at-sea threats to seabirds Over the last three to four decades, industrial fisheries have expanded into far-flung oceans in search of lucrative fish such as bluefin tuna. Larger fishing are...
Posted 08 Aug 2019 by Nina da Rocha -
Seabird-friendly fishers in the making
When our Albatross Task Force instructors are not monitoring seabirds out at sea, they spend their time teaching fishers about seabird conservation and bycatch mitigation in key ports across South America and southern Africa. In Brazil, our...
Posted 24 Jul 2019 by Nina da Rocha -
Ode to the albatross- part 2
Stephanie Prince reveals how an albatross researcher’s life becomes inevitably and irreversibly intertwined with the lives of their subjects and outlines her plans for the future. From the moment I first saw my first albatross back in 2012, my...
Posted 23 Jul 2019 by stephaniewinnard -
Ode to the albatross- part 1
In the first of a two-part ode to the albatross, RSPB ' s Albatross Bycatch Project Manager Stephanie Prince sheds light on the lives of these magical species, explains why we can all identify with their charismatic personalities, and outlines the...
Posted 09 Jul 2019 by stephaniewinnard
Downloads
Issue 15 July 2019 PDF, 550KB
Sea Change: BirdLife International’s Marine Programme newsletterPhotography credits:
Dimas Gianuca
Alexis Osborne
Nahuel Chavez
Leo Tamini
Barry Watkins
Oliver Prince
Stephanie Winnard