Illuminating gillnets to save seabirds and the potential for multi-taxa bycatch mitigation

This is the final version. Available from Royal Society via the DOI in this record. Bycatch in net fisheries is recognized as a major source of mortality for many marine species, including seabirds. Few mitigation solutions, however, have been identified. We assessed the effectiveness of illuminating fishing nets with green light emitting diodes (LEDs) to reduce the incidental capture of seabirds. Experiments were conducted in the demersal, set gillnet fishery of Constante, Peru and compared 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets. We observed captures of a total of 45 guanay cormorants (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii), with 39 caught in control nets and six caught in illuminated nets. Seabird bycatch in terms of catch-per-unit-effort was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in control nets than in illuminated nets, representing an 85.1% decline in the cormorant bycatch rate. This study, showing that net illumination reduces seabird bycatch and previous studies showing reductions in sea turtle bycatch without reducing target catch, indicates that net illumination can be an effective multi-taxa bycatch mitigation technique. This finding has broad implications for bycatch mitigation in net fisheries given LED technology's relatively low cost, the global ubiquity of net fisheries and the current paucity of bycatch mitigation solutions.Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)NOAA Fisheries ServiceNational Fish and Wildlife Foundatio

Reducing green turtle bycatch in small-scale fisheries using illuminated gillnets: The Cost of Saving a Sea Turtle

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Gillnet fisheries exist throughout the oceans and have been implicated in high bycatch rates of sea turtles. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of illuminating nets with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), placed on floatlines in order to reduce sea turtle bycatch in a small-scale bottom-set gillnet fishery. In Sechura Bay, Northern Peru, 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets were deployed. The predicted mean Catch Per Unit of Effort (CPUE) of target species, standardized for environmental variables using generalized additive model analysis, was similar for both control and illuminated nets. In contrast, the predicted mean CPUE of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was reduced by 63.9% in illuminated nets. One hundred twenty-five green turtles were caught in control nets while 62 were caught in illuminated nets. This statistically significant reduction (GAM analysis, p<0.05) in sea turtle bycatch suggests that net illumination could be an effective conservation tool. Challenges to implementing the use of LEDs include equipment costs, increased net handling times, and limited awareness among fishermen regarding the effectiveness of this technology. Cost estimates for preventing a single sea turtle catch are as low as $34 USD, while the costs to outfit the entire gillnet fishery in Sechura Bay can be as low as$9200 USD. Understanding these cost challenges emphasizes the need for institutional support from national ministries, international non-governmental organizations and the broader fisheries industry to make possible widespread implementation of net illumination as a sea turtle bycatch reduction strategy.ProDelphinusDarwin InitiativeNational Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationUniversity of Hawaii Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Researc

Food color and marine turtle feeding behavior: Can blue bait reduce turtle bycatch in commercial fisheries?

We conducted laboratory and field experiments to investigate the behavioral responses of Kemp\u27s ridley Lepidochelys kempii and loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta to whole squid dyed different colors. Our ultimate goal was to identify bait modifications that could reduce the interaction of turtles with longline fishing gear. In captivity, both turtle species clearly preferred untreated squid over squid that had been dyed dark blue. Loggerhead turtles also preferred untreated squid over red-dyed squid, whereas Kemp\u27s ridley showed the opposite response. Field trials of blue-dyed bait were conducted on commercial fishing boats in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, where the incidental capture of olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea is high (long-term average, approximately 7 turtles per 1000 hooks). We found no differences in rates of turtle interactions (8.4 and 8.1 individuals per 1000 hooks) when using untreated versus blue-dyed baits. Although effective in laboratory settings with captive turtles, dyeing bait does not appear to have potential as an effective mitigation measure to reduce sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries