There are seven species of sea turtle globally, all of which are threatened or endangered. One of the main threats to these species is bycatch. Bycatch is when species are captured during commercial fishing operations for other species. This can lead to species decline and slow population recovery. While bycatch is a well-known issue, solutions for it haven’t been extensively studied/ adopted, especially in countries with less access to resources or funding. One solution that has been proven to be effective is the usage of sensory-based BRTs (bycatch reduction technologies) that utilize sound, sight, chemical, and electrical stimuli to discourage non-target species from getting too close to the gillnets.

Photo Credits: NOAA Turtle entangled in marine debris

For visual stimuli, historically, gillnets have used LED lights or chemical light sticks to deter non-targets. The LEDs require batteries that need to be replaced, which raises issues of proper battery disposal. The chemical light sticks only last 24 hours, needing consistent replacement and proper disposal. A solution to these problems was developed not in a lab but in a real-world application. Two brothers, Juan Pablo and Felipe Cuevas Amador, originally sought to solve the issue with an efficient alternative. This led them to collaborate with Dr. Jesse Senko. Together, they created a lightweight solar-powered light that flashes periodically to maximize battery life. The light itself can attach to the net and acts as a buoy, capable of lasting 5 and a half days without a recharge, helping account for cloudy days. The light was proven effective, with a 63% reduction in the bycatch of sea turtles recorded using an experiment with control and solar-lit nets.

The lights themselves are relatively cheap to make, costing around 62 dollars each. They also don’t discourage the target species from getting caught. Further research is being done in North Carolina with Senko’s lab. They are using underwater cameras to further research how the turtles are interacting with the buoys. In terms of affordability for more small-scale fishing operations, work is being done to bring the production to a commercial level. The hope is that grants will be awarded by governments and conservation organizations, allowing funding to reach fishing crews who might not have the budget to buy the buoys themselves. More inquiry is also being done to improve the reduction percentage, with Senko hoping to get all the way up to 95 percent.

Photo Credit: Lindsay Lauckner Gundlock/Arizona State University Solar-powered lights on fishing nets

The conservation of sea turtles is very important to ecosystem health. They graze on seagrass, preventing overgrowth and maintaining habitat integrity for multiple organisms. Their nesting habits also contribute to nutrient cycling from marine to terrestrial habitats. Sea turtles also play a key role in food webs, serving as a consumer, prey, and even a host for organisms like barnacles. They are also a valuable asset for ecotourism, attracting tourists and providing locals with an income. By focusing conservation efforts on projects like these solar buoys, fishermen’s lifestyles don’t have to be drastically altered or harmed while still protecting endangered/threatened species like sea turtles. This style of project, which combines local opinions with scientific resources, could be adopted to other conservation issues as well.