Endangered Albatrosses Are Getting Tangled in Fishing Lines: You Can Help

Subject: Please support legislation to implement the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels Dear Senator, I am writing to urge you to support legislation that addresses the survival of some of the most endangered birds on the planet. Of the 22 species of albatrosses, 19 are threatened with extinction and more than half of the petrel species are endangered as well. Unfortunately, these magnificent birds die tragic deaths--they become entangled in fishing lines and are drowned. To ensure long-term survival for these global birds, we need international cooperation. This important legislation provides the framework for the United States to implement the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, an international treaty that more than a dozen countries have already signed. It would allow us to showcase United States leadership on this issue--the U.S. fishing fleet already uses the easy-to-implement, low-cost solutions that are 97% effective in reducing avian mortality from long-line fishing. Passing this legislation is the first step in giving our negotiators the leverage they need to press other countries to implement these same common sense measures and help conserve these magnificent birds. It would require no new regulations and no expenditures from the budget. And this legislation enjoys bipartisan support--it was first proposed and introduced by the Bush administration and is included on the priority list of treaties supported by the Obama administration. Please support legislation to implement the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, and work toward final passage.