Device saves turtles from fishermen nets

The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute has developed a component in trawl nets that saves turtles and sharks from being caught during fishing.

For years, fishermen have accidently caught turtles, sharks and rays during fishing expeditions, prompting the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to develop a turtle excluder device (TED). Trials for the device done in partnership with shrimp fishing operators, took place in April and May.

“There is need to conserve turtles and to avoid harming them during fishing expeditions. We have fabricated turtle excluder devices using specifications from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the US,” said Dr Edward Kimani, the assistant director in charge of marine and fisheries research at KMFRI.

“Preliminary results show that when using the TED, sharks and rays are not caught as part of the catch. The TED also makes fishing gear more efficient because less materials are stuck in the net and therefore, there is less sorting time and effort in fishing,” added Dr Kimani, noting that preliminary results showed that the technology does not reduce the catch of prawns, shrimp and fish.

The turtle excluder device is a grid that prevents turtles from entering the net with the rest of the cash, by allowing the turtle to gently work its way out of the trawl net.

Using the turtle excluder device is expected to boost populations of turtles, a key element of the ecosystem.

“We see less and less turtles on the beaches, which is an indication of declining populations. The biggest turtle (the leatherback) eats jellyfish exclusively. If there are not enough leatherbacks in the ecosystem, there will be too many jellyfish, which will eat fish eggs. Having adequate leatherbacks regulates the number of jellyfish and ensures an abundant supply of fish,” explained KMFRI public relations manager Jane Kiguta.

EXPENSIVE

The turtle excluder device is too expensive for ordinary fishermen, but KMFRI hopes that commercial players will adopt the device, and that NOAA will certify the device, so that fishermen in Kenya who use the device, can access the US market to sell their marine products.

“Without certification from NOAA, you cannot access the US market to sell products fished in Kenya,” Dr Kimani added.

For now, instead of recommedning mandatory use of the device to save turtles, KMFRI is encouraging captains to test the device on one side of the boat to compare catches between the side where the TED is used and the other side where the device was not used.

Rashid Anam, a KMFRI researcher who was trained to conduct such experiments at sea, said the reduction of large sharks and rays potentially improves fishing efficiency, by reducing the weight in the trawl net, and sorting time on deck.

KMFRI has also reinforced its linkages with industry on a project that could be beneficial to not only Kenya, but also other countries in the western Indian Ocean region with prawn and shrimp trawlers.
“The global market landscape is changing as consumers increasingly lean towards sustainably fished products,” said Mr Anam.

A European Union report shows that the EU may soon be moving towards an import ban on tropical shrimp not captured with TEDs like the US did 30 or so years ago.

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Oceans heating faster

The world’s oceans, which cover more than two thirds of the earth’s surface, have absorbed 90 percent of the temperature rise caused by man-made carbon emissions, over the last quarter of a century.

By measuring atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide for each year, instead of tallying excess heat from man-made greenhouse gas emissions, scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change accurately estimated how much heat oceans had absorbed on a global scale.

Oxygen and carbon dioxide are soluble in water, but the rate at which water absorbs them decreases as it warms. “If the ocean was only 10 metres deep, it would have warmed by 6.5 degrees Celsius every decade since 1991.” said lead author Laure Resplandy, noting that mankind must revised its carbon footprint downward, to avoid affecting the life sustained by oceans. The findings were published in Nature. - AFP