Solar-lit fishing nets cut sea turtle bycatch by 63%, Mexico trials show

In the waters off Isla el Pardito, where rocky reefs meet mangrove swamps in Mexico s Gulf of California, marine biologists and veteran fishers are using the power of the sun to protect endangered sea turtles. This region has some of the highest reported rates of turtles being accidentally caught in fishing nets, a problem known as bycatch that poses one of the biggest threats to marine turtle populations worldwide.

So researchers from the U.S. worked with local fishers to attach solar-powered lights, designed as floating buoys, onto gill nets to alert turtles to the presence of the nets. They found that this reduced sea turtle bycatch by 63% during controlled experiments, according to a study published in Conservation Letters.

All 67 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) captured during the study were released alive. The idea for the solar-powered lights came from three workshops starting in 2018, where scientists and fishers worked together to find alternatives to existing lights that use disposable batteries or chemical sticks.

Traditional LED lights require regular battery replacements, and chemical light sticks only last 24 hours, leading to greater costs and waste. They took us into account and gave us the freedom to give our opinions and make modifications,” said Juan Pablo Cuevas Amador, a fisher from the community of El Pardito who participated in developing and testing the devices and is listed as a co-author of the study.

“For us, it s important that it be done in collaboration because with what they know and what we...This article was originally published on Mongabay