Abstract
Fisheries bycatch of marine animals has been linked to population declines of multiple species, including many sea turtles. Altering the visual cues associated with fishing gear may reduce sea turtle bycatch. We examined the effectiveness of illuminating gillnets with ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes for reducing green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) interactions. We found that the mean sea turtle capture rate was reduced by 39.7% in UV-illuminated nets compared with nets without illumination. In collaboration with commercial fishermen, we tested UV net illumination in a bottom-set gillnet fishery in Baja California, Mexico. We did not find any difference in overall target fish catch rate or market value between net types. These findings suggest that UV net illumination may have applications in coastal and pelagic gillnet fisheries to reduce sea turtle bycatch.
Highlights
Incidental interactions between commercial fisheries and marine animals are linked to population declines in several vulnerable species [1,2,3]
Sea turtle CPUE was significantly higher in control nets as compared with experimental nets, indicating a 39.7% reduction in mean catch rate
We deployed 36 pairs of nets to examine the effects of UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) illumination on total target fish catch rates and catch value in a commercial bottom-set gillnet fishery
Summary
Incidental interactions between commercial fisheries and marine animals (e.g. seabirds, sea turtles and elasmobranchs) are linked to population declines in several vulnerable species [1,2,3]. Several studies have shown that small-scale coastal gillnet fisheries may have high levels of sea turtle bycatch [3]. Fisheries bycatch is considered to be a barrier to the recovery of sea turtle populations [3] and has become a motivating factor to improve the balance between species protection and commercial fishing interests [4]. One approach to developing BRTs for gillnet fisheries has been to better understand the sensory and behavioural ecology of sea turtles and target fish [6]. Experiments have shown that changing the visual cues associated with fishing gear, such as illuminating nets with green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or chemical lightsticks, can reduce green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) interaction rates [5]
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