We are changing the way the world’s fisheries operate, to reduce seabird mortality. We have formed the Albatross Task Force, the world's first international team of seabird bycatch mitigation instructors working at-sea on commercial fishing vessels, and we are leading at-sea testing of innovative new measures to prevent seabird bycatch.
With input from 40 BirdLife Partners, we have produced the first global atlas of sites of importance for seabirds and other marine biodiversity, describing over 3000 sites in coastal waters and on the high seas.
We work internationally, in close collaboration with an array of partners, to ensure effective protection and management of marine protected areas.
Many seabirds, particularly albatrosses and petrels, have undergone rapid population declines, making them the most threatened group of birds and leaving many species close to extinction.
These declines are often closely linked to the expansion of commercial fisheries in seabird feeding areas, combined with the impacts of invasive alien species at nesting colonies. Many seabird species range widely across the world’s oceans, so seabird conservation issues need to be addressed globally.
We know both top-down and bottom-up approaches are necessary. Influencing international policy is vital for securing conservation management for far-ranging seabirds – but working on practical solutions with fishermen and others is needed to find and implement the right management measures.
This is why we carry out ground-breaking research on the decks of fishing vessels to develop solutions to seabird bycatch; it is the reason we have sought adoption of seabird bycatch measures by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations; and it is the reason we have worked with BirdLife Partners all over the world to identify the most important sites for seabirds at sea, and continue to press for these special places to be properly protected.