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How South Africa Protects Seabirds from commercial fishery

Jason Boswell | Wolf Gebhardt
November 20, 2025

Conservationists and fishers are preventing thousands of albatrosses and other birds from becoming bycatch with innovative, but simple methods.

https://p.dw.com/p/53aXM

In the waters off South Africa, albatross chicks face a deadly threat from trawler cables, killing up to 14,000 birds annually in the country and 700,000 seabirds worldwide. BirdLife South Africa’s bird scaring lines have cut albatross deaths by 99%, a major conservation success. A new sensor now ensures they're actually being deployed, helping fisheries maintain sustainability standards. Yet globally, most albatross species remain endangered.

Jason Boswell Jason Boswell is a reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa.