Summary
Average annual seabird bycatch has declined by 73% in the last 5 years (2002-2006) compared to bycatch from the late 1990s. Despite the recent reductions resulting from mandatory mitigation requirements, seabirds continue to be caught at higher rates than would be expected given results of controlled studies that demonstrated bycatch reductions of nearly 100% with paired streamer lines. The results of this study demonstrate that a few individual vessels continue to be responsible for the majority of seabird bycatch.