Scallops swim into illuminated fishing pots
The study examined the effect of LED
lights on crab and lobster pots used by fishing boats off the coast of
Cornwall, UK, and the research team -- including engineering firm Fishtek
Marine and the University of Exeter -- were stunned by the results.
More than 500 scallops were caught
-- 99.6% of them in pots with lights -- and videos show the shellfish piling
into the pots.
Wild-caught scallops are usually
fished using dredges and trawls, so the findings present a chance to develop a
new, low-impact fishing method for the high-price seafood.
"We were working on lights for
crab and lobster pots and I gave some to a fisherman for testing," said Dr
Rob Enever, head of science and uptake at Fishtek.
"He told me the lights made no
difference to crabs or lobsters, but he noticed quite a lot of scallops in his
pots.
"We decided to test this
properly in this study. When I saw the results, I couldn't believe my eyes.
"Boats that would only see two
or three scallops in their pots annually were now seeing 20 or more in a single
pot.
"We have found something really
astonishing here.
"This could be a real
opportunity for crab and lobster fishers, because the lights don't seem to
reduce the number of crabs and lobsters they can catch -- they just bring in an
extra haul of scallops."
Further work is planned this summer
to optimise this new method of fishing by trialling different lights, pot
designs in different areas of the UK in order to establish a new, low-impact
and commercially viable fishery for scallops.
Dr Phil Doherty, from the University
of Exeter, said: "We are delighted to be working with an excellent local
company to do the science that underpins innovation that could be good for
fishers and the environment."
The study team included the University of York, and the research was funded by Defra's Seafood Innovation Fund and Natural England.