Seabirds usually feed in areas that are rich in fish and so they frequently encounter commercial fishing boats. Being incidentally caught in the boats’ nets or hooks (“by-catch”) is a major threat to seabirds, and many end up drowning. The problem has also negative impacts on fishing activity; it is time-consuming and damages fishing gear. In European waters alone, 200 000 birds are caught like this every year.

The Ilhas Berlengas in Portugal is a unique Natura 2000 site where seabirds – including Cory’s shearwaters, Madeiran-storm petrels and gulls – raise their young. One of these species is the critically endangered Balearic shearwater which is at risk of being accidently caught since fisheries is one of the main economic activities in the area.

Funded by the EU LIFE programme and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, and working closely with the fishing community, the nature conservation NGO SPEA (BirdLife’s partner in Portugal) identified the most problematic fishing gear and the seabird species most susceptible to accidental catches.

On this basis, they developed and trialled different mitigation measures. One of these measures, the “scary bird decoy”, proved particularly effective. Attached to the vessel, this device is kept moving by the wind and movement of the boat, simulating the presence of a predator.

After being tested for long hours at sea, the results were unanimous: the scary bird device kept seabirds away, reducing the likelihood that they would be caught. Happily, it was found to be particularly effective for the Balearic shearwater.

Fishermen helped fine-tune the device, which they found to have many advantages. Cheap and easy to produce, easy to assemble and repair, it did not interfere with fishing dynamics, saved time otherwise lost removing birds from fishing gear, and reduced damage to nets. The scary bird is now used by all fishermen involved in the trials and a new cooperation project is underway to extend its use to more fishing vessels.

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