Cornish fishers are testing bird-shaped kites and floating scarecrows to prevent endangered seabirds from drowning in fishing nets, according to a two-year study reported by The Guardian.
An estimated 95,000 diving birds, including razorbills and guillemots, are accidentally caught in nets annually off European coasts. The new deterrents are designed to reduce these deaths by making birds avoid the nets.
The study, conducted by Cornish fishers, found that simple deterrents can significantly slash the number of razorbills and guillemots trapped underwater. The floating scarecrow and bird-shaped kites work by warning seabirds away from danger before they dive into the nets.
The research addresses a major conservation problem. Razorbills and guillemots are diving birds that hunt underwater for fish, making them vulnerable to entanglement in nets set by commercial fisheries. The accidental catch, known as bycatch, has contributed to population declines in these species across European waters.
The testing of these low-cost, non-invasive solutions offers hope for reducing seabird deaths without requiring major changes to fishing practices. The fact that simple visual deterrents prove effective suggests that fisheries may be able to adopt these measures relatively easily.