14 DAY TRIAL // Wildlife researchers writing in the journal Biological Conservation argue that, contrary to expectations, marine species such as whales, dolphins and sharks are not the only ones whose long-term survival is threatened by nets used by fishermen around the world.
In their paper, they explain that, according to recent estimates, as many as 400,000 seabirds die on a yearly basis after they get caught up in gillnets.
The researchers say that, all in all, a total of 148 seabird species risk becoming bycatch. Birds that hunt underwater are the ones most likely to get entangled in fishing nets, they further detail.
According to study co-author Ramunas Zydelis, “The highest numbers of seabirds get caught in gillnets set in cold sub-arctic and temperate seas of the northern hemisphere, where very large numbers of diving birds live and rich marine resources attract intensive fisheries.”
“High bycatch occurs in the Russian offshore waters of the northwestern Pacific; possibly a lot of birds get caught around Iceland; the Baltic Sea is another area with high bycatch,” the researcher further detailed, as cited by Mongabay.
In light of these findings, the researchers recommend that high officials worldwide ask fishermen to install their nets at depths that local seabird species seldom reach when hunting.