Fabiano Peppes (rspb-images.com)
It is well established that seabirds die each year by being caught up in fishing lines, at rates that are pushing some species of albatross, petrels and shearwaters to the very edge of extinction. Orea Anderson, our Global Seabird Programme Policy Officer, will today present results of our recent study at the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, which shows just how many are being killed. Up to 320,000 seabirds die this way each year, and the slow rate of reproduction of these birds means they are simply unable to compensate for losses on this scale. Fortunately there is still time to save these birds from extinction, and our Albatross Task Force are working hard with the fishing fleets of the Southern oceans to show them simple, cheap and practical methods that prevent seabird bycatch.
Closer to home some of the UKs magnificent seabird colonies are also suffering. For example three out of four kittiwakes failed to fledge any young this year. Stocks of sand eels, the staple diet of many of our seabirds, have been severely depleted in the UK. Fortunately there is still time to save the marine life around our coasts too - with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to provide reservoirs of richness to replenish our seas.
We're making progress - after years of campaigning, and with your support, the laws are now in place. But to make sure we live alongside - rather than at the expense of - our marine wildlife, we still need to get the MPAs in the right places, with the right management. So we still need your support to help us keep campaigning, until we get what our marine wildlife needs. So today we are launching a new marine appeal - please donate if you can. Help us keep a kittiwake, save a seal, and keep turtles out of trouble....