We obviously have found it necessary to take action to make sure that we don't catch these birds. I should add that the measures that we are using will avoid all other seabirds as well. Those new regulations become law later this month. They require that fishermen choose from among several techniques to avoid catching albatross. Among the techniques are fishing at night when seabirds are less active.
Fishermen also can deploy their hooks through special tubes that extend below the ocean's surface.
In addition, fishermen can attach streamers to their vessels to scare the seabirds away from their boats. Kim Rivera of the National Marine Fisheries Service. They whip and move unpredictably, snapping in the wind in whatnot and scare the birds away. Millions of short-tailed albatross once lived in waters from Japan to Alaska. But by the early 1900s, hunters had killed most of them to use their colorful plumage in ladies hats.