According to SEO/Bird Life, half (57%) of the 365 species of seabirds are in decline and nearly a third are considered globally threatenedBird bycatch occurs when seabirds try to catch fishing bait or discarded fish”Measures are in place of mitigation to combat these bycatch, and they can be effective”, but the regulations are not followed, says the NGO Seabirds are the forgotten ‘collateral damage’ of commercial fishing. Among fishing nets and gear, thousands of birds are accidentally ensnared in such high numbers that more than half (57%) of the 365 seabird species are in decline and almost a third are considered globally threatened. highlights the 2022 ‘State of the World’s Birds’ report, published by BirdLife International, which adds that hundreds of thousands of seabirds die each year from this cause, affecting numerous threatened species. The NGO, in its The report explains that “bycatch occurs when seabirds try to catch fishing bait or discarded fish. Many times, they get snagged on hooks or entangled in fishing gear, or strike trawl cables and therefore In general, they end up drowning. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds die each year from these causes”. for more than twenty years, in reversing the situation, through its Marine Program. Specifically, it has indicated that in the last five years it has deployed the Zepamar line of projects, with various editions –Zepamed, Zepamed II, Zepamar, Zepamar II and Zepamar III–, developed with the collaboration of the Ministry’s Biodiversity Foundation to the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). “There are mitigation measures to fight against these bycatch, and they can be effective, but the lack of compliance with regulations that require their application, particularly on the high seas, mean that many birds are still in danger,” says the BirdLife report. In the case of European waters, he stressed that “there is not even an adequate regulation in this regard, and there is still a long way to go.” According to the environmental NGO, “the urgency of improving data collection, which allows measures to be taken Effective mitigation measures in the affected fleet, and in key areas and times, was made clear at the event”. Likewise, he added that the need to train inspectors and fishermen was also seen to improve the collection of data on accidental catches. In turn, the relevance of advancing in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge was discussed, to ensure that the data collected contributes to the monitoring programs of marine strategies. A threatened kingdom The situation of seabirds is It is part of a global panorama in which one of every eight species of birds in the world is in danger of extinction. Agricultural activity, climate change, indiscriminate logging and the proliferation of invasive species are counted as the main threats. SEO / BirdLife points out that “unsustainable consumption and economic development are behind almost all the threats that the natural world suffers” And `he gives as an example the growing demand for food and wood encourages the expansion of agriculture, fishing and forestry; urbanization promotes the development of commercial and residential areas and related infrastructure; international trade and travel increase the risk of introduction of alien species; and the combination of all these actions contributes to climate change. “Between 2001 and 2011, – the NGO points out – economic and demographic growth increased the impacts of agriculture and forest exploitation on biodiversity (measured from the point of view of the number of potential imminent extinctions of birds), despite a decrease in the impact due to gross domestic product International trade causes the geographical separation of production and consumption and decouples the impacts on biodiversity from economic growth In 2011, 33% of the impacts on biodiversity in South America and 26 % in Africa were fueled by consumption in other parts of the world.”