For years researchers warned that fishing practices threatened the survival of most species of albatross.

The birds die in huge numbers after being attracted to long-line fishing boats. Attempting to eat baits being thrown overboard to catch tuna, they become caught on hooks and are dragged underwater and drowned. As students of English literature and music will know, killing an albatross is not a good move.

But now conservationists are celebrating a rare success story, with the news that the albatross appears to have been saved from looming extinction. A scheme that brings together fishermen, government and conservation groups is being credited with reducing albatross deaths from fisheries by 85% since 2007 (BBC, Times, Independent).

The Albatross Task Force dramatically reduced death rates in South Africa by adopting some simple tactics such as weighting fishing baits so they quickly disappear and deploying streamers to scare off birds.

“We spend great deal of time with the fishermen showing them ways to prevent the birds from getting hooked,” says Meidad Goren of the task force (press release). “Fishermen now understand that in order to continue fishing they must avoid killing seabirds, and are very cooperative.”

In a leader column, the Times opines:

The great bird is not yet out of danger. Many are still snagged by trawlers, breeding is slow and habitats are endangered. But the fishing fleets have been persuaded to help by sensible, tactful persuasion, working with the fishermen instead of antagonising them. This is a campaign to be replicated in all attempts to prevent inadvertently deadly practices. The albatross will soar again.

As those same English literature students will also know, even those responsible for the deaths of albatross can be redeemed, although part of their penance is to make sure the message that killing the beasts is bad continues to spread.

Image: USFWS