Buoys with looming eyes deter seaducks and could potentially reduce seabird bycatch in gillnets.

ABSTRACT: Bycatch of seabirds in gillnet fisheries is a global conservation issue with an estimated 400 000 seabirds killed each year. To date, no underwater deterrents trialled have consistently reduced seabird bycatch across operational fisheries. Using a combination of insights from land-based strategies, seabirds' diving behaviours and their cognitive abilities, we developed a floating device exploring the effect of large eyespots and looming movement to prevent vulnerable seabirds from diving into gillnets. Here, we tested whether this novel above-water device called 'Looming eyes buoy' (LEB) would consistently deter vulnerable seaducks from a focal area. We counted the number of birds present in areas with and without LEBs in a controlled experimental setting. We show that long-tailed duck

SUBMITTER: Rouxel Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8103233 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature