Seabird survival: safeguarding the albatross with BirdLife International

Last week, KCCF attended the Global Birdfair with our strategic partner, BirdLife International. It was fantastic to learn more about their Safeguarding Ocean Species project and progress made 25 years after albatrosses were first featured at the Birdfair.

Albatross are incredible birds, with a wingspan of up to 3.5m, and spend their lives soaring above the waves around the world. Did you know that the world’s oldest wild bird is a Laysan albatross called Wisdom, who is 79 years old and is thought to have had more than 30 chicks across her lifetime?

At the Albatross Taskforce reception more than a decade ago, our Founder reflected on his experience as Royal Navy Officer noting that:

There was something encouraging and heartening about the fact that you were being escorted by these extraordinary birds.

BirdLife’s Safeguarding Ocean Species project is taking bold steps to reduce the accidental killing of seabirds in the southern Pacific. These majestic creatures, including the critically endangered Antipodean Albatross, are among the hundreds of seabird species whose lives are endangered each year by industrial fishing practices.

Longline fishing vessels, with equipment stretching up to 100km and baited with thousands of hooks, pose a lethal threat to seabirds. The bait resembles fish swimming near the surface, luring hungry birds into danger. Many are sadly pulled under and drowned—making incidental capture, or “bycatch,” the most pressing danger facing albatross populations today.

But there is hope. Bycatch mitigation methods like Tori lines, colourful streamers designed to deter birds from hooks, have proven astonishingly effective. Tori lines can be created by local coastal communities, providing sustainable employment for women. In South Africa, their deployment through the Albatross Task Force reduced albatross mortality by an incredible 99%.

By spotlighting the Safeguarding Ocean Species project, BirdLife will promote best practices among fishing fleets, support local livelihoods, and foster healthier marine ecosystems. Its aim is simple and powerful: to ensure that these graceful seabirds continue to glide across the world’s oceans – not disappear beneath them.

Learn more about BirdLife International

Image credits © Imogen Warren / Shutterstock