Fisheries by-catch threatens seabirds

The RSPB has called for protection for seabirds as thousands are caught as by-catch by fishing vessels. There has been concern for Southern Ocean species such as Albatross, but little attention has been given to species of Shearwater and other more Northern species. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has warned of the threats posed to critically endangered species such as the Balaeric Shearwater as they are frequently drowned by longliners. Longline fishing involves lines of hooks being set out over great distances, seabirds are attracted to the bait and drown when they become hooked to the line.

It is estimated that 200,000 seabirds are being killed in fisheries in European waters every year, the RSPB said, with one species, the great shearwater, suffering an exceptionally high annual bycatch rate of 50,000 birds in the Spanish longline hake fishery to the west of Ireland.

The RSPB and BirdLife International are calling on the European Commission to implement an EU Community Plan of Action for reducing the incidental catch of seabirds in fisheries.

“Europe is incredibly important for seabirds, with some species occurring nowhere else, and this is a situation that Europe must tackle urgently,” said RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge. Read more.