

The presence of "free food" in the form of offal and bait attracts many seabirds to fishing operations. While feeding, birds sometimes come into contact with fishing gear and are accidentally killed. For example, most birds taken during hook-and-line operations are attracted to the baited hooks when the gear is being set. These birds become hooked at the surface and are then dragged underwater, where they drown.
Beginning in 2002, several regional fisheries management organizations, or RFMOs, adopted and updated measures to reduce incidental seabird bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries.
The following reports from BirdLife International detail the distribution of seabirds and how RFMOs can protect them:
RFMOs have adopted binding conservation and management measures to reduce seabird bycatch. Below are links to the most recent versions of these measures, as well as links to older measures that have been superseded. Relevant non-binding measures are also provided.
2012 Resolution 12/06 (PDF, 5 pages) on Reducing Incidental Bycatch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (effective July 1, 2014)
2011 Resolution C-11-02 (PDF, 6 pages) to Mitigate the Impact on Seabirds of Fishing for Species Covered by the IATTC
2012 Conservation Measure 25/12 (PDF, 9 pages) on Reducing Incidental Bycatch of Seabirds in the SEAFO Convention Area
2014 Conservation and Management Measure 2.04 (PDF, 9 pages) for Minimizing Bycatch of Seabirds in the SPRFMO Convention Area
*Regional fishery management councils of which the United States is a member. The United States played a significant role in getting these RFMOs to adopt international binding measures to reduce seabird bycatch in international waters.