Since the 1970s, South Georgia’s wandering albatrosses have declined catastrophically due to fisheries bycatch. Bycatch risk was highest at the Patagonian Shelf break, visited during incubation and post-guard chick-rearing periods. The greatest overlap was with South Korean vessels, and demersal longliners from various nations. Seabird bycatch rates are highly variable across fishing fleets. Urgent need for engagement with stakeholders to ensure implementation of bycatch mitigation and monitoring of compliance.
