title: Developing ultraviolet illumination of gillnets as a method to reduce sea turtle bycatch.
abstract: Fisheries bycatch of marine animals has been linked to population declines of multiple species, including many sea turtles. Altering the visual cues associated with fishing gear may reduce sea turtle bycatch. We examined the effectiveness of illuminating gillnets with ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes for reducing green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) interactions. We found that the mean sea turtle capture rate was reduced by 39.7% in UV-illuminated nets compared with nets without illumination. In collaboration with commercial fishermen, we tested UV net illumination in a bottom-set gillnet fishery in Baja California, Mexico. We did not find any difference in overall target fish catch rate or market value between net types. These findings suggest that UV net illumination may have applications in coastal and pelagic gillnet fisheries to reduce sea turtle bycatch.
authors.affiliation: Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. john.wang@noaa.gov
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barkan
authors.forename: Shara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fisler
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Godinez-Reyes
authors.forename: Yonat
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Swimmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D014426:Turtles; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
keywords: UV vision; bycatch; gillnets; sea turtles