The UK government has announced that it will provide £65,000 for projects to promote the conservation of albatrosses and petrels.
The populations of both are falling at the fastest rate ever and are facing extinction, thought to be the result of by-catch of longline fishing, according to a Defra release.
The projects will be implemented by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP).
£15,000 of the funds will help finance a project under the Convention on Migratory Species to assess the impact of global fisheries on marine wildlife and £50,000 will be donated to various conservation projects.
For more information on the effects of longlining and how fisheries can reduce by-catch, please see World Fishing November 2006, or see 'Simple Steps to Responsible Longlining' in the Analysis section of this website.
