Floating scarecrows and bird-shaped kites could save thousands of endangered seabirds from drowning in fishing nets off European coasts. Every year, an estimated 95,000 diving birds, such as razorbills and guillemots, are accidentally caught in fishing nets.
To reduce this problem, fishers in Cornwall, England, tested simple deterrents created by scientists, the wildlife charity RSPB, and engineering company Fishtek Marine. One main device, called a looming-eyes buoy, is a floating scarecrow with a spinning head and two large eyes. It frightens diving birds away from gillnets, which are vertical walls of netting that hang underwater.
Ten Cornish fishers fitted cameras to their boats during a two-year trial to monitor how birds reacted to the devices. Researchers from the University of Exeter analyzed the results, which were published in the journal Conservation Letters. The floating scarecrows reduced the chance of seabirds getting caught in gillnets by 59 percent, while scarybird kites reduced the risk by 71 percent.
The research also showed that most seabirds in Cornwall were caught during winter. Lead author Tom Horton explained that identifying when and where the risk is highest allows conservationists to target these measures effectively without disrupting fishers at sea.