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# Simple floating deterrents cut auk bycatch in a working Cornish gillnet fishery
- URL: https://intelligence.wildlandseco.com/2026-10-01-auk-bycatch-floating-deterrents/
- Published: 2026-10-01T13:53:23.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T13:53:23.000Z
- Description: A two-year trial with 10 commercial fishers found a Looming Eye Buoy reduced guillemot and razorbill bycatch risk by 59% and a predator-shaped kite by 71%.
- Author: Benjamin Worlund
- Tags: seabird bycatch, gillnets, mitigation, fisheries, Oceans, Wildlife, #ecological-intelligence, #brief-2026-10-01, #priority-read, #peer-reviewed, #geo-europe

Evidence

Peer-reviewed

Geography

Cornwall, United Kingdom

System

Coastal gillnet fishery and seabirds

## WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

A two-year commercial-fishery trial off Cornwall tested two above-water visual deterrents alongside active gillnet fishing. Vessel cameras and paired deployments showed that a Looming Eye Buoy reduced the probability of guillemot and razorbill bycatch by 59%, while a bird-of-prey kite reduced it by 71%. Most recorded bycatch occurred in winter, giving the intervention a clear seasonal targeting signal.

## WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

This is unusually practical conservation evidence: the intervention was tested inside a real fishery with fishers rather than only in a behavioral arena. The seasonal concentration of bycatch also means managers may be able to focus deployment where it buys the most risk reduction rather than treating every trip identically.

## CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

The trial involved 10 Cornish vessels, one regional fishery and primarily two auk species. Effectiveness may differ with gear, vessel practices, weather, habituation, species assemblage or region; the result supports further operational use and testing, not a universal bycatch solution.

## SOURCE

Conservation Letters — primary study  
[View original evidence ↗](https://doi.org/10.1111/con4.70082?ref=intelligence.wildlandseco.com)

From the Morning Brief · 2026-10-01

[Read the full Morning Brief →](https://intelligence.wildlandseco.com/morning-brief-2026-10-01/)