Since 1970, the global abundance of sharks and rays has declined by 71 per cent, partially due to accidental capture in longline fishing hooks. A new device may keep sharks and rays away from hooks by creating an irritating electromagnetic field
Grey reef sharks in Bora BoraAn electric pulse-emitting, pinkie-finger-sized device attached to fishing hooks appears to dramatically reduce the accidental catch of sharks and rays in initial field tests. The technology, called “SharkGuard”, could enable fishers to harvest target species like tuna while limiting unintentional bycatch deaths of sharks around the world..
The SharkGuard device hitches a ride on this same fishing gear and is affixed a few centimetres above a hook. The device – about the size and shape of a AA battery – works by emitting a pulsing electric charge that creates an electromagnetic field around the SharkGuard’s position.Sharks and rays have electrosensory organs in their skin that detect subtle changes in underwater electric fields.
The SharkGuard device is small, but it is a big deterrent against sharks and rays that risk becoming bycatchTo test the technology, Doherty and his colleagues deployed SharkGuard on two fishing vessels off the coastline of southern France over 11 different trips in the summer of 2021. Each vessel was equipped with 22 longlines with more than 9000 hooks.
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