Sea scarecrows to protect birds in Falmouth Bay and Cornwall waters

The RSPB, in partnership with Birdlife International, Cornwall IFCA, Natural England, and in collaboration with Cornish gillnet fishers, is launching a pioneering project this winter that may help make Cornwall’s seas safer for the seabirds that call them home.

The project will test the use of sea scarecrows called looming-eyes buoys and predator-shaped kites at fisheries, to prevent seabirds from diving in the vicinity of gillnets.

The aim is to reduce the risk of birds getting tangled in gillnets (bycatch).

Looming-eyes buoys are bobbing scarecrows, which look like a pair of googly eyes attached to a pole that is fitted to a buoy.

A predator-shaped kite Picture: Ana_Almeida

Globally, seabirds are threatened by several issues and at sea this includes bycatch from fishing gears. It is estimated that 400,000 birds are killed in gillnet fisheries globally each year, half of which occurs in European waters.

Birdlife international carried out a trial of looming-eyes buoys in Estonia. The trials demonstrated that the device reduced the presence of long-tailed ducks (and potentially other seabirds) in a 50m radius by about 25%.

The project will focus on seabird feeding areas in Cornwall’s coastal waters, mainly in the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area (SPA).

Paul St Pierre, RSPB conservation officer in Cornwall, said: “This trial is a fantastic opportunity to work together with local partners and the Cornish fishing community, to hopefully make Cornwall’s seas safer for seabirds like great northern diver, cormorant, European shag, common guillemot, razorbill, black-throated diver, and Slavonian grebe.”

Yann Rouxel, RSPB bycatch project officer, added: “The absence of technical solutions to the gillnet bycatch problem has taken a serious toll on many seabird species already struggling from pressures such as climate change and overfishing.

"If the trials in Cornwall are successful, those devices could be a game changer for impacted bird species worldwide.”

A key part of the project will be working together with fishers and Cornwall IFCA, who will be carrying out the sea monitoring.

Black-throated diver Gavia arctica Picture: Andy Hay

The RSPB and partners will be working with a small group of fishers who will be using their normal fishing practices to set ‘paired nets’ – one set with the looming-eyes buoys or predator-shaped kites attached, and one without, to test their success as seabird bycatch mitigation measure. The project is planned to run across two winters.

The RSPB has received £50,000 of funding from the DEFRA G7 Legacy Fund, which will help them begin the project this month.

The funding will enable the purchase of the buoys and predator kites, as well as engaging with local fishers who would like to be part of the research project.

Ruth Williams, from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “The DEFRA G7 Legacy Fund, which is being managed by Natural England and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, will deliver a lasting legacy for nature and people as part of England’s Nature Recovery Network.

"The beauty of Cornwall’s coasts and countryside often masks the pressures which nature faces with accidental entanglement in fishing net a serious problem for our seabirds, as well as other marine species. The looming-eyes buoys could be a real solution to this issue and we are excited to be able to fund this innovative work.”

The project will run for two years, with results expected in April 2023.