Measures available to fishermen to reduce seabird mortality are:
- Night fishing
- Flying streamer lines during line setting operations to scare seabirds away from baits
- Adding weight to longlines to increase sink rates
- Setting lines underwater through a pipe
- Processing fish offal onboard or expelling it in a manner that does not attract seabirds
All measures have proven to be useful in minimising contact between seabirds and baited hooks. However, some fishing industries have shown reluctance in adopting these measures and using them in a fully effective manner.
By donating to the  Save the Albatross Campaign your contribution will go toward:
- Working with longline fishing industries to help make existing fishing practices seabird-safe.
- Working with longline gear manufacturers to design new, seabird-safe fishing gear.
- Purchase of seabird avoidance devices for longline vessels in developing countries.
- Outreach programs to fishermen, fisheries management agencies and governments.
- Research on the interactions between albatrosses and fisheries.
- Research on trends in threatened albatross populations.
Your donation will be kept in a holding account by Birds Australia and overseen by a six-person steering group with specialised knowledge of the biology and conservation of Southern Ocean seabirds, longline fisheries, the efficacy of mitigation measures and fisheries management practices of relevant Southern Hemisphere fishing nations.
Each year at the end of the Antarctic tourist season when the size of the kitty is known, the availability of funds is advertised on the internet and applications sought for their use. The steering group chooses the most deserving application(s) and Birds Australia allocates the funds. Recipients of funds are obliged to submit a report to the steering group at the completion of their project. |
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A curtain of streamers dangling from a piece of rope positioned over longlines scares seabirds away from baited hooks. Shown is a streamer line protecting the longline being paid out from the vessel © Graham Robertson
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Conservation 
