According to this news by Birdlife International, New Zealand will take further measures to reduce the number of seabirds killed in New Zealand’s fisheries.

This is great news for many endangered seabird species, especially the albatrosses. It’s estimated that about 100.000!!! albatrosses die each year on fishing hooks used by long-line fishing. The long lines (many kilometers long) has hundreds or thousands of hooks with bait on a single line. When the long-lines are set out on the water, many seabirds try to eat the bait and swallow the hook. Due to the weight of the line, the birds are pulled underwater and drown.

Albatrosses are long lived species which only raise a chick every year or some only every second year. Additionally, some species start breeding first after reaching the age of ten years or even more. So it takes a long time for a population to recover.

Up to 19 of the 22 albatross species (the actual number of albatross species is still open to debate) are already endangered, mostly because of long-line fishing.

The new measures taken by New Zealand should help reduce the senseless dying of those magnificent birds.

For more information about albatrosses, the threats they face and how you can help, click here: http://www.savethealbatross.net.