Simple deterrents tested by Cornish fishers, devised by scientists and the RSPB, have been shown to reduce the number of seabirds caught in fishing nets by about two-thirds. Bird-shaped kites and a floating scarecrow, known as a looming-eyes buoy (LEB), were tested to prevent endangered seabirds, such as razorbills and guillemots, from drowning.
An estimated 95,000 diving birds are accidentally caught in nets off European coasts annually. The LEB features a spinning head with large eyes designed to scare diving birds away from gillnets. This device was tested alongside a commercially available scarybird kite.
Ten Cornish fishers and Fishtek Marine, which created the LEB, fitted cameras to boats to monitor the devices' effect. The two-year trial, analysed by University of Exeter scientists and published in Conservation Letters, found that the chance of seabirds being caught in gillnets decreased by 59% with LEBs and by 71% with kites.
The research also indicated that in Cornwall, most seabirds were caught during winter, which could help in targeting the seasonal use of these deterrents. Tom Horton, lead author of the University of Exeter research, stated that the study provides strong evidence that practical deterrents can substantially reduce seabird bycatch in gillnet fisheries.