Gadgets that emit small electrical pulses can drastically cut the number of sharks and stingrays caught accidentally on fishing lines, new research shows.
A new device called SharkGuard attaches to longline fishing rigs to scare off sharks and rays.
In the study, carried out on French boats fishing for tuna, lines fitted with SharkGuard reduced bycatch (accidental catching) of blue sharks by 91% and stingrays by 71%.
Catch of the target species, bluefin tuna, also appeared to decline, but further testing is needed to fully understand the effects of the device on target species.
Read more at University of Exeter
Image: SharkGuard devices reduce bycatch of sharks and rays (Credit: Fishtek Marine)