Seabird Bycatch significantly adds to the knowledge base of seabird mortality in commercial fisheries, and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive solutions. The product of a 1999 symposium held by the Pacific Seabird Group, Seabird Bycatch is a response to escalating bycatch, a global conservation and fisheries management issue.

The workshop discussed current knowledge on marine mammal bycatch questions, evaluated the efficacy of measures for mitigating bycatch, reviewed techniques across different gear types and recommended that FAO develop Technical Guidelines.

The incidental capture of non-target marine animals in fishing gear, such as seabirds, cetaceans, elasmobranchs, and turtles, is commonly referred to as 'incidental bycatch'. Seabird bycatch in bottom set gillnet fisheries (GNS) is known to be a major conservation issue both globally and within Europe; an estimated 76,000 birds are caught annually in the Baltic Sea alone (Žydelis and others 2013). Diving seabirds, such as seaducks, auks, divers, grebes and cormorants are particularly susceptible to capture in this gear. Gillnets, made of thin nylon twine, are essentially invisible under water, and diving birds are presumably not able to perceive the net whilst foraging at depth, becoming entangled and drowning. This particular fishing gear is used extensively across Europe, with both small and large-scale fleets operating in EU member states' waters. A lack of systematic data collection across most of Europe on gillnet fishing effort (particularly small-scale vessels) and on bycatch has meant that little information is available to assess which countries, fleets and sites are particularly at risk of causing seabird bycatch. Despite the general lack of information, some studies on seabird bycatch in gillnets have been conducted over the past few decades and these indicate that specific regions of Europe are 'hotspots' for bycatch in this gear. The Baltic Sea, with its internationally important populations of wintering seaducks, such as long-tailed duck, velvet scoter, common and steller's eider is one such 'hotspot'. In addition to the lack of fine scale information on gillnet fisheries, one of the most significant challenges for managing bycatch in this gear is the lack of technical solutions. For other fishing gears, such as longlines and trawls, technical solutions have already been developed and successfully implemented in a number of fisheries (largely outside of the European Union), resulting in substantial reductions (or even the elimination) of seabird bycatch.

Conservation of Marine Birds is the first book to outline and synthesize the myriad of threats faced by one of the most imperiled groups of birds on earth. With more than half of all 346 seabird species worldwide experiencing population declines and 29% of species recognized as globally threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the timing to determine solutions to threats could not be more urgent. Written by a diverse team of international experts on marine birds, this book explores the environmental and biogeographical factors that influence seabird conservation and provides concrete recommendations for mounting climate change issues. This book will be an important resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as ecologists and students who want to understand seabirds, the threats they are facing, and tactics to help conserve and protect them. Outlines both threats and solutions in the marine and terrestrial realm Synthesizes information to provide a comprehensive strategy moving forward, especially considering climate change Created by a team of experts with the latest and most comprehensive knowledge of seabird conservation