Seabird Bycatch In The Pacific Northwest: The Problem And The Solutions

Seabird bycatch (that is the unintentional catching of seabirds) in commercial fisheries is a big problem globally. Many of these birds wind up dying. Here in the Pacific Northwest, albatross are particularly at risk. Bycatch can result in huge population losses of seabird species. For threatened or endangered species, even the death of a small number of birds can have devastating effects. Seabird bycatch can hurt economically too through increased fishing costs, decreased fishing efficiency, and lost fishing access. Fortunately, there are solutions. Edward Melvin, a former faculty member of the University of Washington, joins us on this episode to give us an overview of these solutions and explain the challenges and opportunities in their implementation.