After 11 years of hard campaigning, at last the European Commission has launched a Plan of Action to reduce seabird bycatch (when seabirds get caught in fishing gear and drown). They committed to doing this way back in 2001, and we’ve been on their case since to get it in place.
Sadly, we estimate that over two million seabirds have died in the mean time, caught in the fishing gears of vessels in EU waters alone. That doesn’t include EU vessels operating outside of EU waters, e.g. in the southern oceans where bycatch is the main reason why 17 out of 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction.
It’s great (if belated) news that the EU now has a plan, but disappointingly, the plan is essentially voluntary. So the plan has no real teeth.
On the positive side we do think that the plan is best practice. It takes learnings from fleets outside the EU that embraced the solutions available in a more timely manner (well done them). We will keep working with UK fishing communities to help them put the EU plan in place. And we thank all those fishermen who take steps to save seabirds. The plan may have no teeth, but seabird-friendly fishermen can save the day by acting as dentures!
Juvenile black-browed albatross caught on a baited longline hook: Fabiano Peppes (rspb-images.com)