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Sir David Attenborough sends a personal plea:
 The lamented subject of the 'Rime
of the Ancient Mariner', an epic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is in
danger.
Every
year 100,000
albatrosses are
killed by longline
fishing. These
lines can stretch
for 30 miles or
more behind the
boats with up to
10,000 baited
hooks. Satisfying
our demand for
halibut, cod,
tuna, swordfish
and other
sought-after
catches, these
hooks can reel in
all sorts of
other, unintended
victims from the
sea, among them
seabirds like the
albatross. Albatrosses
can live to be
over 50 years old
and have some of
the largest
wingspans of any
birds. They can
soar the ocean on
wings up to 12
feet across for
weeks or even
months at a time.
A single
journey can
cover thousands of
miles in search
for food.
The
return to land is
only for breeding
or feeding its
single, hungry
chick. So a trail
of squid, used as
bait from the
stern of a
longliner to
attract large
fish, is
attractive to a
hungry bird. This
tantalizingly easy
meal floating on
the surface of the
water is attached
to a three inch
hook. The
albatross dives to
the bait and,
unless it misses,
bites through to
the hook. The bird
is then dragged
struggling under
the surface of the
water and drowns
being unable to
free itself.
 Hundreds
of miles away the
hungry chick waits
for a meal that
never comes. It
starves to death. This
scenario is having
a devastating
impact on whole
populations of
albatrosses.
Scientists now
fear that unless
urgent action is
taken, many
seabird species
will become
extinct. One
solution to this
problem would be
the use of
bird-scaring
lines. This would
ensure that we can
still enjoy
seafood safely in
the knowledge that
no albatrosses or
other seabirds
have died in
bringing the catch
to our tables. Sir
David Attenborough
now adds his
personal plea to save
albatrosses. 
By the end of January thousands of albatrosses will have died needlessly, victims of a longline fishing industry that doesn't mean to kill them.
Long-time supporter of the campaign to save these magnificent seabirds, Sir David Attenborough has once again voiced his concern for their plight.
'One of my most memorable moments was sitting eyeball-to-eyeball with a wandering albatross chick on the remote Atlantic island of South Georgia. It is possible that this bird may have joined the hundreds of thousands of albatrosses which have died on a fisherman's
longline' said Sir David.
'For an albatross, taking a fish from a baited hook is no different to a blue tit taking peanuts from a garden feeder. The contrast is that the albatross will pay the heaviest price of all for its meal - its life.'
'One of my most memorable moments was sitting eyeball-to-eyeball with a wandering albatross chick on the remote Atlantic island of South
Georgia' His passionate plea for these gentle giants of the oceans to be given a fighting chance can be found in full on the Save the Albatross Campaign website.
Source: RSPB Public Affairs department
31 January 2006
In 2004 yachtsman
John Ridgway returned from
his
round-the-world
voyage to
highlight the
plight, and
afterwards presented a petition
of over 100,000
signatures to the
United Nations
Food and
Agriculture
Organisation in
Rome. This
is what John said
before he sailed,
"Almost forever, the albatross has graced the skies of the Southern Ocean. But soon they will be no more.
Pirate longline fishing will kill them all. I cannot stand by and watch this happen. I will sail around the world, following their circumpolar track to raise public awareness and prevent their needless slaughter. It may be the last chance for the albatross.
I invite you to help. Add your name to the cry to stop the needless slaughter of the albatross. Please sign the petition.
Into the mist..."
Following
John's return here
is a statement, "Thank you to everyone who signed the petition to stop pirate fishing to help save the albatross.
The petition was presented to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, by John Ridgway and representatives from BirdLife International, on 25 June 2004.
From June 2003 to June 2004 John Ridgway sailed around the world with a volunteer crew to raise awareness about the needless slaughter of the albatross.
During this time over 100,000 people, from 131 countries signed a petition asking the United Nations to stop pirate fishing to save the albatross. Reaching this figure is significant, as approximately 100,000 albatross are killed by longlining each year.
The petition is now closed but you can still help save the albatross by using the Best Fish Guide.
The Best Fish Guide ranks New Zealand's commercial fisheries from best choice to worst choice. The rankings are based on criteria, including impacts on albatrosses and marine
habitats." Copies
are available from here.
THE
RACE IS ON......to
save the
albatross. Here
are some links to
campaign partners
where you can find
more information
and ways you can
help. There is
also a link to the
Volvo Ocean Race
as this
organisation has
adopted the Save
the Albatross
campaign.
Please add your
voice to this campaign. Click on the following links
(each will open in a new window) for access to more information and ways you may like to help.
Here is my Albatross Guestbook especially for
you to show your support for the campaign:
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