The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) has identified 13 priority seabird species and designated high risk areas for their protection but stopped short of adopting new mandatory measures to reduce seabird deaths caused by commercial fishing.
At its annual meeting held in Brussels from October 5 to 8, 2026, the eight member commission discussed proposals to strengthen protections for seabirds, particularly albatrosses and petrels that are accidentally caught by longline fishing vessels targeting southern bluefin tuna. Although members agreed on the priority species and risk areas, disagreements among participating nations prevented the adoption of additional conservation requirements.
Oliver Yates, head of the marine programme at BirdLife International, welcomed the identification of high risk areas but criticised the lack of accompanying action. He said recognising the problem without introducing measures to address fishing-related deaths would leave seabirds vulnerable.
Longline Fishing Poses a Major Threat
Longline fishing involves deploying lines carrying thousands of baited hooks. Seabirds attracted to the bait can become hooked and drown as the lines sink underwater.
A recent report by the CCSBT and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that longline fishing kills around 30,000 seabirds annually across the Southern Hemisphere. However, BirdLife International representatives warned that the figure could be an underestimate because some fishing fleets, including Chinese vessels, were not accounted for.
The precise number of seabirds killed by longliners targeting southern bluefin tuna remains unclear because of limited data.
The 13 priority species identified by the commission are all albatrosses already covered by the multilateral Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Most have threatened conservation status, and experts have warned that declining populations are facing a serious conservation crisis.
The commission designated 11 grid squares as high risk areas based on its modelling, selecting the smallest of three options considered by its seabird working group. The alternatives would have covered 20 or 32 grid squares. The greatest concentration of modelled risk was in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.
Proposed Safeguards Fail to Gain Consensus
Australia and New Zealand presented a proposal seeking stronger protections in the designated areas. It recommended combining three measures: bird scaring lines to keep seabirds away from fishing hooks, setting lines at night when seabirds are less active, and weighting branch lines so hooks sink more quickly.
Known as the “three out of three” approach, the combination is intended to reduce opportunities for seabirds to reach baited hooks. The proposal also offered hook-shielding devices as an alternative. These devices cover baited hooks until they sink below the surface, although they can be expensive.
As another option, Australia and New Zealand proposed allowing fishing operators to meet a maximum bycatch rate of 0.05 birds per 1,000 hooks.
The proposal was not adopted because members could not reach a consensus. According to BirdLife International, Taiwan led the opposition to adopting the measures at this meeting, while Japan and South Korea also expressed reservations.
Taiwan’s fisheries agency said further clarification and technical discussion were needed on implementation requirements, expected reductions in seabird deaths and arrangements for monitoring effectiveness. Japan said the proposal required careful examination because it had not been considered by the commission’s seabird working group. South Korea expressed support for the proposal’s objectives while calling for gradual progress that accounts for differences among members.
The CCSBT operates by consensus, meaning a single member can block the adoption of a measure.
Further discussions are scheduled for an intersessional meeting in March 2027, followed by the commission’s next annual meeting.
Enforcement of Existing Rules Remains a Concern
Conservationists say adopting new measures would be only one part of the solution. Ensuring that existing seabird protection rules are properly implemented and enforced remains a significant challenge.
Yates said some CCSBT members were still failing to comply with previously adopted measures. He argued that addressing these shortcomings could help reduce seabird deaths even before additional rules are introduced.
The issue is particularly urgent for threatened albatross populations, including wandering albatrosses, whose numbers have declined significantly at important breeding sites such as South Georgia.
Southern Bluefin Tuna Catch Limit Increased
While seabird protections remained unresolved, the commission agreed to increase the total allowable catch of southern bluefin tuna by 3,000 metric tonnes, bringing the limit to 23,647 metric tonnes annually for 2027–2029, in line with scientific advice.
Southern bluefin tuna populations have recovered from severe historical depletion over much of the past two decades. The stock is now estimated to be around 28% of its historical size before intensive commercial exploitation, compared with approximately 5% in 2010. Despite the improvement, the species remains endangered.
Members also negotiated how the catch would be allocated among participating countries. Indonesia sought a larger share, citing fairness for developing nations. The final agreement did not introduce permanent changes to national allocations but provided Indonesia with temporary catch related concessions for 2027–2029.
The allocation negotiations took place without non-governmental organisation observers present. The Pew Charitable Trusts criticised the lack of transparency according to the official meeting report.
The latest meeting therefore delivered progress in identifying where seabird conservation efforts are most urgently needed, but left the central question of stronger fishing safeguards unresolved. Conservation groups are expected to continue pressing members to turn the new risk designations into enforceable measures before further seabird populations decline.