The graceful sweep of an albatross as it glides above mountainous waves and through torrential storms has amazed generations of sailors and naturalists.

The awe-inspiring sight has, however, become increasingly rare in recent decades as long-line fishing has put species under threat of extinction. One study has estimated that the birds are being killed at a rate of one every five minutes, as they become entangled in long-line hooks.

Now, after the success of an international conservation programme, the vision of the majestic birds in flight may have been preserved for many more generations to marvel at.

The project to save the 22 species of albatross — about 3 million birds — has cut deaths caused by long-line fishing by up to 85 per cent.

Long-line fishing was taking such a toll on albatrosses that ornithologists began a campaign to reduce the slaughter by educating fishermen on how to avoid killing the birds. Such has been the success of the Albatross Task Force since it was set up in 2006 that it is likely to become a blueprint for conservationists in how to reduce adverse impacts on wildlife.

In the waters off South Africa, where the project began, death rates have been reduced by 85 per cent. In other regions the programme has had less time to take effect but has still cut deaths by up to 67 per cent. Albatrosses were dying because they were snatching at baited hooks from boats fishing for tuna and swordfish. Once caught on the hooks, the birds were dragged beneath the waves and drowned. However, it emerged that it was possible for fishermen to ensure that hooks sank swiftly enough so that sea birds were unable to get to them. And by teaching fishermen the techniques of weighting and laying out their lines, and by lobbying governments to take action, ornithologists brought about a sea change in fishing practices off South Africa.

The Albatross Task Force, a joint initiative between the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Birdlife International, is the first international scheme in which conservation instructors have joined the fishing crews at sea. Globally, 19 species of albatross are under threat of extinction, with three species critically endangered - the Tristan, Amsterdam and Chatham albatrosses. Work to save albatrosses has moved to Namibia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Ecuador. Dr Ross Wanless, co-ordinator of the BirdLife Global Seabird Programme in Africa, said: “This is a fantastic result. Changing entrenched practices is a slow process, but the ATF has shown that, by working with government and industry, change is possible.”

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