These albatrosses were caught on the hooks of longliners – commercial fishing vessels with spools of fishing line stretching for kilometres. Attracted to fishing vessels because they are a source of food, the birds had dived under the water and become caught up on the baited hooks of longliners. By-catch, the term for species killed accidentally, is one of the most serious issues facing the fishing industry. Attempts are being made to develop devices that scare away seabirds or reduce their chances of being caught.
Using this item
Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)
Reference: EP/1993/2638/23
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.