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"It's heavily colonised by penguins and elephant seals and all kinds of sea birds," said Prof Coffin, who studies the undersea geography of the islands.

"You have extinction threats to sea birds and turtles from bycatch. It is really sad, because we could manage the oceans so much better."

Avian influenza began killing tens of thousands of sea birds in Europe before moving to South Africa.

But Haman said best conservation practice is to make sure to help sea birds be as resilient as possible by ensuring adequate food and habitat — especially in the face of this new threat.

In long line fishing, long lines with hundreds or thousands of hooks catch fish but also other animals like dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and sea birds.