Mortality Threats to Birds - Fisheries
When the ecological problems associated with fisheries are
raised, the issue of sustainability of the fisheries themselves
is usually at the forefront. Yet commercial fishing has impacts
far beyond this obvious concern. Every year, thousands of
seabirds, marine mammals, and other imperiled species are
killed as unintended bycatch on the hooks of longlines and
in the mesh of gill nets. These include imperiled species
such as albatrosses and murrelets, and in some cases, commercial
fishing is the primary reason for the species decline. In
other cases, fish-eating birds such as terns and cormorants
are seen as a threat to salmon runs, fish farms, and sport
fisheries, and legally killed, despite sound scientific evidence
that other factors are to blame for declines in fish stocks.
American Bird Conservancy continues to push for the protection
of seabirds from longlines, working with the federal government
and other conservation groups to ensure that proven mitigation
measures are employed. Click on one of the pictures below
for more information on specific fishery-related threats to
birds.
|
Mission and Vision 
... Up to Parent Page
