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Innovative technologies to reduce by-catch in gillnet fisheries

Description

Ecuadorian artisanal fleets produce some of the highest rates of endangered species fisheries bycatch in the East Pacific. Ecuador accounts for approximately 40,000 turtles accidentally caught in the Southeast Pacific.

This innovation project will test the effectiveness of Bycatch Reduction Technologies (BRT) in the nearshore gillnet fishery using a three-pronged approach:

(1) community workshops;

(2) a human-centered design; and

(3) scientific trials of LED light devices and electromagnetic devices to reduce shark and turtle bycatch. 

This will be underpinned by a sustainable business model offering financial value to participating fishing crews through additional export and domestic market access, made available by the Ecuadorian Government's Accion Tiburon Program. This approach will ensure the testing, adoption, sustaining and scaling of BRT in Ecuadorian Fishery in a way that is relevant to Ecuadorian artisanal fishers to sustain their livelihoods, maintain fish stocks, and reduce impacts on endangered species in the Pacific Ocean for the long term.

 

Details
Iluminar el Mar: Combatting Fisheries Bycatch of Endangered Marine Species: A Pilot Project to Test Bycatch Reduction Technologies in the Ecuadorian Gillnet and Longline Fishing Fleets
  • Start Date
  • End Date
  • Innovator Fundacion Mare Nostrum
  • OIC Financing
    187,528.41
  • Beneficiary Ecuador
  • Category
    Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)
  • Focal Point
    Jeff LeBlanc
  • Small scale coastal fishers in Peru fixing the nets. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
    Small scale coastal fishers in Peru fixing the nets. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
  • Turtle saved from catch in Peru. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
    Turtle saved from catch in Peru. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
  • Life Delfi gill fisherman and SNT's Pisces. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
    Life Delfi gill fisherman and SNT's Pisces. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
  • Coastal fishers in Peru using gillnet. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies
    Coastal fishers in Peru using gillnet. Credit: SafetyNet Technologies