Green Options

Once cursed with killing dolphins, tuna fishing is now being blamed for a shocking reduction in albatross numbers.

Long line fishing is being blamed for a startling drop in the number of albatrosses around the world.  Fish, squid and other bait are trailed on hooks behind a trawler to catch tuna and swordfish.

However, because the hooks for these fish are set just below the surface it attracts albatrosses who think they’ve spotted a nice free meal and dive into the water to get it.

Instead they get hooked and tangled in the line, dragged under the water, and drowned.  In many cases the bait has been dislodged meaning that hook will now catch nothing.

100,000 albatrosses are killed every year due to longline fishing activities - and four species of albatross are now critically endangered. Simple changes in fishing techniques can give these birds a chance.

Longline fishing is having a devastating effect on albatross populations. In order to catch species such as tuna and swordfish, longline fishing boats set fishing lines that can extend 80 miles of hooks into the ocean. Of course, when an albatross swallows the bait, the hook lodges in the bird’s throat. The result is a slow, painful death by drowning as the bird is trapped and dragged under the water.

The staggering death toll combined with the slow reproductive cycle of the albatross has put these birds at significant risk. Fortunately, there are bird-friendly fishing techniques that can reduce the number of albatross deaths.

According to the USDA's annual statistics survey, 10 billion animals are killed for human consumption every year in the United States. (Worldwide, I believe it’s 45 billion.) However, it is more accurate to say that “10 billion land animals are killed for human consumption every year"; otherwise, we’re disregarding the billions of aquatic animals killed for the same purpose – to satisfy human appetites. Although the number of aquatic animals killed for consumption in

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