Oppel et al. (2025)

BirdLife Partners in Lithuania and the United Kingdom (Lithuanian Ornithological Society, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) completed a 5-year project to trial techniques on how to reduce seabird bycatch (Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Great Cormorant) in nearshore gillnet fisheries. Mitigation measures included predator-shaped kites attached to buoys holding the nets, and night fishing. Results indicate that the risk of seabird bycatch is greatly reduced (>50% reduction) if nets are retrieved prior to sunrise, while the deployment time can be as much as two hours before sunset. Kites had a small beneficial effect, and neither measure reduced target fish catch. The bycatch reduction is feasible if fishers deploy and retrieve nets within certain timeframes, which will require an additional trip, and therefore funding and cultural adjustments.