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Birdwatchers spot endangered seabirds near Cape Town
On a calm summer day roughly 50 kilometers from Cape Point, a small boat carrying bird enthusiasts glides through the Atlantic. Passengers call out names of rare seabirds-Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses and black-browed albatrosses-drawn to fishing vessels for discarded scraps.
Fishing trawlers attract seabirds-and danger
The boat, operated by Cape Town Pelagics, a conservation nonprofit, heads straight for a trawler. As it nears, hundreds of seabirds swarm the vessel, competing for fish heads and entrails tossed overboard. While the feast provides easy meals, it also exposes the birds to lethal risks.
Bycatch: A deadly consequence of commercial fishing
Tim Appleton, a British conservationist and founder of the Global Bird Fair, explains how longline fishing endangers seabirds. These operations deploy lines up to 100 kilometers long, baited with thousands of hooks. Birds attempting to snatch bait often get hooked, dragged underwater, and drowned.
Albatrosses, which spend nearly half their lives at sea, are especially vulnerable. They also risk entanglement in cables hauling fishing nets. These accidental deaths, known as bycatch, threaten entire populations.
Albatrosses' slow reproduction compounds the crisis
Andrea Angel, leader of BirdLife South Africa's Albatross Task Force, highlights the species' precarious survival. Of the 22 global albatross species, 15 face threats from fishing activity. Their ocean-dependent lifestyle increases encounters with vessels.
"Albatrosses mate for life and invest heavily in raising a single chick every two years. If one parent dies, the chick starves, and the surviving bird may take years to bond with a new partner," Angel says.
Andrea Angel, BirdLife South Africa
Simple solutions save lives-and livelihoods
Bird-scaring lines, or "nautical scarecrows," offer a low-cost fix. Colorful plastic streamers flutter above nets and hooks, deterring birds. BirdLife partners with the Ocean View Association for Persons with Disabilities to produce the lines, providing income and purpose to workers.
"This work gives our members self-worth and supplements their disability grants," says Deborah Gonsalves, the association's manager.
Deborah Gonsalves, Ocean View Association for Persons with Disabilities
Conservation success-and global ambitions
Fisheries also benefit. Originally designed by a Japanese fisherman, the lines prevent birds from stealing bait, preserving valuable catches like tuna. Since 2004, the Albatross Task Force has cut seabird deaths in southern African fisheries by 90%. The goal now is to expand the model worldwide.
However, Angel notes challenges: "Some fishermen skip the lines due to time or safety concerns. We continue negotiating to save thousands of birds."
