LEDs cut seabird death toll from fishing by 85 percent

According to scientists from the University of Exeter, an estimated 400,000 diving seabirds die annually by getting caught in gill nets intended to catch fish. A new study indicates that the majority of those deaths could be avoided, however, if the nets were to be equipped with inexpensive green LEDs. Gill nets hang like vertical curtains in the water, with float lines at the top and anchors at the bottom. They're unseen by fish who swim into them and become entangled in the netting. Unfortunately, non-target species such as seabirds also don't see the nets, and likewise fall victim to them.