Above Water Deterrents

An estimated 400,000 seabirds are caught each year globally in set nets, and bycatch has been identified as the second most important threat to seabirds after climate change. However, reducing seabird bycatch in gillnets is one of the most challenging fisheries bycatch issues to solve. Seabirds feed in productive areas of the sea, where fishing also takes place.  

THE IDEA

After developing the Hookpod with Birdlife International, attention turned to whether we could design a deterrent that would work for nets. RSPB scientists provided their expertise on existing deterrent designs and biological characteristics.

TIMELINE

2017

A prototype Looming Eye Buoy was developed with scientists from Birdlife International, using knowledge of seabird diving behaviour and visual perception to prevent seabirds from swimming into nets as they pursue fish underwater.

2018

Looming Eye Buoys trialled by Birdlife International in Küdema Bay, Estonia where abundance of long-tailed duck declined by 37% within a 50m radius of the devices.  

2022

Looming Eye Buoy trialled unsuccessfully by the RSPB and Birdlife Iceland in the lumpfish fishery in Iceland, where it did not lead to reductions in duck and seabird bycatch.

2023

Looming Eye Buoy was tested in a set net fishery in Cornwall alongside a commercially available kite. Data was gathered using Remote Electronic Monitoring. Data showed that both devices reduced seabird bycatch by 65% and identified key times and gear types when bycatch was highest.

2024

Inshore fishermen highlight the importance of developing a system that can be more easily stowed on board small vessels and identify a number of other potential design improvements to make them easier to deploy and retrieve.

2025

Fishtek Marine start work on a kite that can operate in set net fisheries based on feedback from fishermen as a potentially more versatile and reliable technology. We are working with the RSPB, Equinor and the Offshore Wind Energy and Change (OWEC) programme to develop and test some new designs. 

AMBITION

We would like to see Above Water Deterrents used in hotspot locations and time periods when set nets are being deployed.  

POTENTIAL IMPACT

We have had some successes and we are confident that we will have a deterrent that can be used by set net fishers with a proven impact on reducing the numbers of seabirds caught in nets, but we are still developing and testing our designs.

FUNDING

Trials in Cornwall were funded by the Defra’s Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) and Equinor

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Research is ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of our new kite designs. We are working closely with partners in the UK including Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme, RSPB, Equinor, Defra and the Clean Catch programme.