Residents of the sea have to cope with the results of human activities - from microplastics to other waste. Sometimes, innocent sea creatures like dolphins and turtles also get trapped in fishing nets. But now, researchers have figured out a method to protect them from bycatching.

The team of researchers found that by placing LED lights on gillnets, chances of non-targeted creatures being caught in the net lowered. Gillneting is a very common technique used in the small-scale fishing industry. The technique relies on three different ways for the fish to be trapped in the net from their gills, teeth and body.

But the nets are also harmful to non-targeted creatures as researchers said, “Numerous studies show that these fisheries often have high bycatch rates of threatened marine species such as sea turtles, small cetaceans and seabirds, resulting in possible population declines of these non-target groups.”

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The researchers in their study published in the journal Biological Conservation studied fishing activities of three Peruvian ports between 2015 and 2018. The team placed lights at a 10m interval along the float lines of 864 gillnets and another 864 gillnets that had no LED lights. Researchers then compared the catch and bycatch rates for both types of nets.

They found that the use of LED lights on gillnets reduced the bycatch of sea turtles by 74.4% while it decreased by 70.8 % for small cetaceans— dolphins, whales, and porpoises. The results of the study supported a previous study that found LED lights reduced bycatch of sea birds by 84%. Both gill nets, with and without LED lights, caught the same amounts of fish from targetted species.

Co-author Dr. Jeffrey Mangel explained, “The dramatic reduction in bycatch of sea turtles and cetaceans in illuminated nets shows how this simple, relatively low-cost technique could help these species and allow fishers to fish more sustainably."

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