Plate Nº 35 · recorded September 30, 2026
Biology & EvolutionReported finding
Floating Scarecrow Cuts Seabird Deaths in Fishing Nets by Two-Thirds
A two-year trial with Cornish fishermen shows a floating scarecrow buoy and a bird-of-prey kite cut guillemot and razorbill bycatch in gillnets by 59% and 71% respectively.
By Nathan Brooks4 min read769 words
In brief
- Diving seabird bycatch risk fell by 59% with Looming Eye Buoys and 71% with bird-of-prey kites in a two-year trial with 10 Cornish fishing boats.
- An estimated 95,000 diving seabirds such as guillemots and razorbills drown in gillnets around European coasts each year.
- Most bycatch in Cornwall occurred in winter, allowing deterrents to be deployed only in high-risk seasons and locations.
A "floating scarecrow" and a repurposed bird-scaring kite can cut the number of seabirds drowning in fishing nets by roughly two-thirds, according to new research conducted with Cornish fishermen off the coast of Cornwall, U.K.
The study, published in the journal Conservation Letters, tested two simple devices designed to stop diving seabirds such as guillemots and razorbills from plunging into gillnets — fishing nets that hang in the water like a wall and catch fish by their gills. Around 95,000 diving seabirds are estimated to drown in gillnets along European coasts every year. This accidental capture, known as "bycatch," is a global problem affecting many seabird species.
The first device, the Looming Eye Buoy (LEB), was jointly developed by Fishtek Marine, a Devon-based engineering company, and the nature conservation charity the RSPB. The buoy carries a spinning head with an animated eye effect that frightens birds away from the nets below. The second device was a commercially available kite shaped like a bird of prey, sold under the name "scarybird."
The results were striking. Across a two-year trial involving 10 Cornish fishing boats, the risk of guillemots and razorbills being caught fell by 59% when fishermen deployed the Looming Eye Buoys, and by 71% when they flew the kites. Cameras fitted to the boats recorded bycatch levels and allowed scientists at the University of Exeter, who analyzed the data, to compare periods with and without the deterrents.
Timing matters
The researchers found that most seabirds in Cornwall were caught during the winter months. That seasonal pattern matters because it means fishermen and conservationists do not need to deploy the devices year-round. Instead, they can concentrate deterrence efforts in the places and weeks where bycatch risk peaks, saving both money and effort.
Tom Horton, lead author of the study from the University of Exeter, said: "This study provides some of the strongest evidence to date that simple, practical deterrents can substantially reduce seabird bycatch in gillnet fisheries. By also identifying when and where bycatch risk is highest, we now have a clear opportunity to target mitigation measures where they can deliver the greatest conservation benefit for vulnerable seabird populations and encourage sustainable fishing practices."
Built with fishermen, not for them
A central feature of the project was the partnership with working fishermen. Tom Hooper, senior fisheries scientist at Fishtek Marine, emphasized that any technology used at sea must be simple and robust, and that working alongside the fleet taught the team a great deal about how the devices were actually used.
"This technology means that fishing can continue while reducing the effects on seabirds," Hooper said. "This means that deterrent efforts can be directed and efficient. As a result, we can refine and improve the devices so they fit their operational needs."
Micky Bacon, a fisherman from Mousehole, Cornwall, who took part in the trials, said: "I got involved with the seabird bycatch trial because the sea is my workplace and I think it's important that we're involved in projects that can potentially affect how we work and can help improve the environment. It is also a good opportunity to publicize to people outside the industry that fishermen don't just want to go and catch fish, we also want to be part and parcel of improving the environment."
Part of a bigger picture
The buoy is the product of an eight-year collaboration between Fishtek Marine and the RSPB. The charity, which hosts the BirdLife International Marine Programme, has already helped deploy "bird-scaring lines" — streamers towed behind fishing vessels to keep birds away from hooks and cables — around the world. Those lines have reduced seabird bycatch by 98% on Namibian longliners and 95% on South African trawlers.
Gillnets, however, have proved far harder to solve, because the nets sit underwater where visual deterrents cannot easily reach. Yann Rouxel, bycatch program manager at the RSPB, called the performance of the LEB and the kite "a major milestone in the effort to reduce seabird bycatch without impeding gillnet fishers while at sea."
Pete Kibel, co-founder and director of Fishtek Marine, said the team will continue working with the fishing industry, the RSPB and the University of Exeter to further improve the efficiency of the devices.
The findings come from a two-year trial in one region, so the effect sizes may differ in other fisheries and with other seabird species. Still, the study suggests that a low-cost, low-tech approach — a floating eye and a kite — could meaningfully reduce a threat that kills tens of thousands of birds each year.
via Phys.org Biology (Source)
More from Nathan Brooks
Nearby plates
- Butterfly Wings Trick Predators With Optical Illusions in Flight
- Bogong Moths Swarm Australia Again After Near-Collapse
- Small Crop Patches Draw 70% More Birds, Three-Year Study Finds
- Insects Keep Vertebrates Alive as Food, Medicine and Home Builders
- Baby Whales Are Washing Up Dead in Argentina, and Scientists Are Racing to Find Out Why