On TV: Thursday 28 June, 7pm BBC One
I'd only been in the Falklands for a couple of days, but I could see the problem for the albatross straight away. It flies huge distances looking for food and frequently comes into contact with humans. And when that happens, it’s the same old story. Humans one, albatross nil.
Fishing boats from Brazil head 500 miles out to sea, muscling in on fishing grounds the albatross once had to themselves.
Over the last ten years the Falkland Islands bird population has gone from 468,000 breeding pairs to 399,000, a drop of over 70,000 breeding pairs.
The cause is simple – birds caught by the fishing hooks drown. The hooks that are used to catch our food, unfortunately, do not discriminate between fish and hungry birds.
In just 20 years, the albatross population here has declined by 20%. That's a catastrophic loss and all because of our appetite for fish.
But there are some amazing organisations helping the albatross, including the RSPB and their Albatross Task Force, who could really benefit from all our support.
How you can help
You can help conservation projects protect the albatross by donating to the BBC Wildlife Fund.
Find out more about where your money goes.
In the UK similar problems caused by fishing affect marine mammals. If you want to do more to help you can make a promise.
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