Every year an estimated 100 million sharks are inadvertently caught in commercial fisheries, threatening shark species with extinction, and interfering with normal fishing operations.
Bycatch, as this problem is known, doesn't just affect wildlife: it costs fisheries a lot of money. That's because sharks can scare away the types of fish that fisheries are targeting, such as tuna. In addition, when the sharks get accidentally caught on the hooks it damages fishing gear and reduces the number of target fish that might otherwise be caught. Currently there is no solution to this urgent problem. Now, a British company called Fishtek Marine is developing SharkGuard; an entirely new, game-changing device fitted to fishing hooks which uses electric pulses to deter sharks, whilst not interfering with the catching of target species which can't detect this electric field.
In 2019, sea trials with SharkGuard in the Mediterranean demonstrated a 100% reduction in shark bycatch in a typical commercial longline fishery (albeit based on a limited overall shark sample size). However, fishers using SharkGuard in the field encountered some practical difficulties and reported a reduction in catch rates for target species which we found was due to the device's size, in-water weight, and positioning next to the hook. This funding will support critical investigations to provide the new knowledge required to resolve these challenges. This will enable development of a second stage prototype and statistically confirm its efficacy through planned sea trial research to ensure the prototype fits both technical and commercial requirements. SharkGuard will benefit both conservation and the worldwide fishing industry, while growing our business and cementing our global reputation
Relatively inexpensive and convenient to use, SharkGuard has the potential to become the first and only truly effective shark bycatch mitigation technology for the world's longline fishing industry. Countless sharks will be saved and a number of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be supported. Meanwhile, the fishing industry will benefit and, within five years, Fishtek Marine, a British company, will hire an additional 27 staff, boost turnover by £3 million, and reinforce its profile as a world leader in bycatch reduction technology.