Research presented at a workshop on seabirds in Cape Town last Friday, indicated that the populations of six of the 21 albatross species have declined dramatically, BirdLife International said.
In a statement released in the United Kingdom, the conservation body said that longline fishing was mainly to blame for the decline in albatross populations.
”This method kills more than 300 000 birds, including 100 000 albatrosses annually, either by drowning or dying of their injuries on baited hooks up to 80 miles (130 km) long.”
The six species are the Atlantic Yellow-nosed albatross, the black-browed albatross, the black-footed albatross, the Indian yellow-nosed albatross, the Laysan albatross and the Sooty albatross.
The most threatened species is the Amsterdam albatross, which has already been classified as critically endangered. This species is also threatened by disease, with the population reduced to some 20 pairs.
”The number of seabirds killed by longlines is increasing, as is the number of albatross species in the higher categories of threat due to their continued use,” said Dr Michael Rands, BirdLife International’s director and chief executive. – Sapa