A major assessment has identified areas where ocean fishing poses particularly high risks to seabirds. Supported by an FAO project, researchers combined fishing records with information about bird populations across the Southern Hemisphere. Their analysis covered ten billion hooks and nearly ten thousand observed captures. It estimated that at least thirty thousand seabirds are accidentally caught each year in the longline fisheries examined. This figure describes the assessed fisheries, not a complete count of seabird deaths from fishing worldwide.
Risk hotspots appeared in parts of the Tasman Sea, the southern Indian Ocean and the southeast Atlantic. The findings can help managers focus conservation efforts where they are most needed. Practical measures include lines that scare birds away, weights that help hooks sink and setting fishing gear at night. Protective devices can also cover hooks until they pass beyond birds' reach. Combining measures is more effective than relying on one alone. Observers and electronic monitoring help verify what happens at sea and whether fleets follow protective rules.