"Albatrosses are in terrible trouble. A type of fishing called longline fishing is killing 100,000 albatrosses every year - that's about one every five minutes," states The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
RSPB explains, "Longline fishing boats put out thousands of baited hooks on lines that stretch for miles. The albatrosses are attracted to the bait, but when they eat it they get caught on the hook, pulled below water and drown."
Unless we act now, most albatross species will become extinct.
The History of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is very interesting. It was formed to counter the barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats, a fashion responsible for the destruction of many thousands of egrets, birds of paradise and other species whose plumes had become fashionable in the late Victorian era. READ MORE HISTORY
You can click on the above image to go directly to their website or click on the various links here that Jasper has provided.
ABOUT ALBATROSSES
Albatrosses are among the largest flying birds. They soar thousands of miles across oceans without pause. Their only need to touch land is to nest and raise young. They mate for life and the males and females share in the incubation of the egg. READ MORE
Why are albatrosses amazing? Albatrosses are true ocean-going birds. To survive their life on the ocean wave, albatrosses are perfectly adapted to survive in one of our planet's most extreme environments. More...
Species at risk
The threats faced by albatrosses are many and varied, so it is hardly surprising albatross numbers have declined at such an alarming rate that 18 of the world's 22 albatross species are at risk. More...
A Global Partnership
It's great to see countries working together to save birds. All the organizations listed below have joined their talents and passion to help albatrosses. You can support their work by joining one of the partners.
All the countries are represented on the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme committee, which meets regularly to share expertise and plan work together.
Argentina
Australia
Birds Australia
Brazil
The Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
France
Japan
The Netherlands
New Zealand
South Africa
Spain
Taiwan
United Kingdom
If your organization would like to support their campaign, please contact Conor Jameson at the RSPB: conor.jameson@rspb.org.uk, or telephone him on 01767 693030.
