Lit-Up Fishing Nets Dramatically Reduce Catch of Unwanted Sharks, Rays and Squid

Photo caption: Researchers attached green LED lights along the gillnet float line to keep unwanted marine animals from getting stuck. Photo credit: Jesse Senko. Article by Margaret Osborne. Smithsonian Magazine – February 18, 2022.

Fishing nets illuminated with green LED lights can prevent unwanted marine animals from getting stuck, saving fisheries time and stopping vulnerable animals from dying or getting injured, new research suggests.

In a study published in Current Biology, researchers found that lighted gillnets had no significant impact on the amount of targeted fish caught, yet they reduced total biomass of unwanted catch, or bycatch, by 63 percent. […]

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