News

A simple $200 set of streamers that attach to a line on the stern of fishing vessels could decrease trawling-related seabird deaths by as much as 95 percent.

Seabirds, including albatross, often trail trawling vessels in search of discarded fish parts. Each year, thousands are killed by overhanging cables or in nets, but many of these deaths can be avoided by the cost-effective streamers that scare birds away.

Research conducted over a five-year span in South Africa shows that by using streamers, trawling-related bird deaths decreased in the winter between 73 and 95 percent. Albatross deaths were reduced by 95 percent, which is significant for a species that is considered the most threatened bird on Earth.

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