Bycatch in net fisheries is recognized as a major source of mortality for many marine species, including seabirds. Few mitigation solutions, however, have been identified. We assessed the effectiveness of illuminating fishing nets with green light emitting diodes (LEDs) to reduce the incidental capture of seabirds. Experiments were conducted in the demersal, setnet fishery of Constante, Peru and compared 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets. We observed captures of a total of 49 seabirds (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii and  Sula variegata), with 39 caught in control nets and 10 caught in illuminated nets. Illuminated nets had a statistically significant 73.5% decline in seabird interactions when compared with non-illuminated nets. This study showed that net illumination reduces seabird bycatch.

In addition, we deployed light emitting diodes (LEDs) - a visual cue - on the floatlines of paired gillnets (control vs illuminated net) during 864 fishing sets on small-scale vessels departing from three Peruvian ports between 2015 and 2018. Standardized bycatch probability for sea turtles and cetaceans as well as standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) of target species were analysed for illuminated and control nets using a generalised linear mixed-effects model (GLMM). For illuminated nets, bycatch probability was reduced by up to 80% for sea turtles and small cetaceans in comparison to non-illuminated, control nets. Target species CPUE was not negatively affected by the presence of LEDs.

These studies highlight the efficacy of net illumination as a multi-taxa BRT for small-scale gillnet fisheries in Peru. These results are promising given the global ubiquity of small-scale net fisheries, the relatively low cost of LEDs and the current lack of alternate solutions to bycatch.