Bycatch

The longline fishery has an estimated loss of 16-32 seabirds, while the gillnet fishery has an estimated loss of 40. The sea turtles are estimated at 30.

This is the number of seabirds and sea turtles that are accidentally caught in fishing nets and hooks and die each year.

Catching or capturing unintended fish or other organisms during fishing is called bycatch, and there have been many reported cases of sharks, sea turtles, large mammals such as dolphins, and seabirds being mistakenly caught in nets. Some of these include endangered species such as dugongs, which is a challenge for ecosystem conservation. In the case of seabirds, 360 out of the approximately 100 species of seabirds in total are affected by bycatch in fishing, and 50 of these species are designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

For fishermen, the task of avoiding bycatch and releasing creatures that are caught by catch is a burden, but they are making tireless efforts to protect rare species. They also continue to innovate by developing fishing gear and improving fishing methods that are less likely to result in bycatch.

In addition, the fishery eco-label,MSC News,AlsoFisheries Improvement Project (FIP)Measures to minimise the impact on ecosystems, including bycatch fish species and prey resources, including seabirds and endangered protected species, are being introduced and verified.

For those who want to know more information, please see the following:
"Aiming for safe fisheries for seabirds"
Issued by: BirdLife International Tokyo