A view from the waves – how we’re working with retailers to make seafood safer for seabirds

The Ocean episode of?Wild Isles?will immerse us in the marine environment of the British Isles and showcase some of the wildlife that calls our waters home, including some amazing seabird species. The RSPB hosts the BirdLife International Marine Programme, a team of experts dedicated to making fisheries safer for seabirds at home and across the world. You might be aware of the incredible successes already achieved by our “Albatross Task Force” which operates in countries such as?Namibia, where direct engagement with the fishing industry has led to an impressive 98% reduction in accidental mortality of some of the worlds’ most iconic seabird species. In today’s blog Yann Rouxel, our Bycatch Programme Manager, explains how we are working with retailers to make seafood safer for seabird populations.

“Out of sight, out of mind”?

Fishing – as the name suggests – is for catching fish. It might seem obvious, but in the process of catching fish, a large number of other marine life can be caught as well, this unwanted catch is something we refer to as “bycatch”. You might be aware of the threats that fishing poses to animals such as turtles, dolphins or sharks, but birds can be impacted too – they can get caught on fishing hooks, entangled in nets, or struck by trawl cables.

Bycatch from fisheries is in fact the top ‘at sea’ threat affecting seabird species, costing the lives of up to one million seabirds each year. We can all feel a bit powerless in the face of nature destruction, especially with issues like bycatch that occur far out at sea, removed from the sight and accountability of the public. But there is hope.

Raising accountability

We often overlook the powerful influence that we have as consumers. In fact, many indicators suggest the appetite for sustainable fisheries’ products is growing, with consumers willing to pay premium prices for certified seafood products.

Products labelled under the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – the world's most recognised ecolabel for seafood – represent over half of all wild-caught seafood in the UK market in 2022. “It pays to be green” has become a key factor in promoting sustainable practices within the fishing industry, and a means to hold industry accountable for the impact they create on the marine environment.

Bycatch audits

With this in mind, we have been engaging with the?Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, a non-profit organisation promoting the sustainable production of seafood through engagement with fishery stakeholders and seafood businesses.

We have conducted a series of seafood supply chain audits with participating retailers based in the United Kingdom and the United States. These audits evaluate the environmental impact of fishing practices used to supply the seafood in their stores. We selected, for each retailer, the top three seafood products that are associated with seabird bycatch based on our knowledge of fishing practices around the world and the distribution of vulnerable seabird populations. We know that some fishing gears and operations are more damaging than others, for different assemblages of seabirds. So our input helps highlight the potential highest risk fisheries, and therefore seafood products.

Through the audits we recommend a series of actions that the companies supplying the retailers could implement to reduce their impact on seabirds. Our recommendations are based on scientific evidence and international best practice – measures that are simple and effective and do not negatively affect fish catch , such as bird scaring lines on longline and trawl fisheries. We also call for greater transparency at sea, for instance by having independent observers on board or remote electronic monitoring such as cameras to monitor bycatch and ensure compliance with bycatch solutions. In some cases, where technical solutions are still under development, we promote specific new research that will have directly transferable benefits when complete.

Following the audits, retailers engage directly with their seafood suppliers and require changes to be made in high-risk fisheries to reduce their impacts. The retailers will support those companies that are dedicated to delivering improvements and actively seek out fisheries that want to be part of the solution. In some cases, some of the retailers may choose to stop buying from fisheries where no improvement is possible.

Our seabird bycatch audits contribute to a wider audit led by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and incorporate expert guidance through a collaboration between BirdLife International and?Whale and Dolphin Conservation, focusing not only on birds but also sharks, marine mammals, and sea turtles.

To date, Asda, the Co-op and Tesco are amongst the retailers that have made their participation in audits official, meaning it is possible to check their sustainability credentials at the?Ocean Disclosure Project. Three more audits involving other big UK retailers have also been completed, which should be made publicly available in the near future, and we are currently conducting an audit on one of the biggest US-based retailers. The support and commitment from large seafood retailers both domestically and internationally toward more sustainable fishing practices could be a game changer for the future safety of our seabirds.

What can you do to help?

Whilst it is too early to measure the effect that these audits will have on fishing practices and the safety of seabirds, this is nonetheless a step in the right direction for the health of our marine ecosystem.

By buying seafood strictly from sustainable sources and following the recommendations from sustainable seafood guides, such as the “Good Fish Guide” from the Marine Conservation Society, you can directly influence what the fishing industry will look like in the future. It might not happen overnight, but the long-lasting effect of the choices you make today could be key for the future of our ocean.

Visit?Save our Wild Isles?to discover more ways to help nature.

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Find out more about the RSPB’s work in the marine environment of our Wild Isles and further afield:

Bycatch

Hope for our struggling seabirds

The Albatross Task Force

The mighty Pacific: how the RSPB is working with partners in Japan and Taiwan to reduce albatross deaths in High Seas fisheries

Saving seabirds globally