Googly-eyed buoys and kites keep seabirds out of fishing nets

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFishing nets off Cornwall now come with a buoy that has a pair of big spinning eyes on a pole, and it keeps seabirds from diving in, Mongabay reports.

2. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI think that's beautiful. A seabird makes eye contact with a buoy, reconsiders its choices, and flies on. That's a safety culture.

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTen fishers set over a thousand nets, about eighty miles of them.

4. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNets with kites had seventy-one percent lower odds of catching auks, and buoys had fifty-nine percent lower.

5. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe kite is shaped like a bird of prey.

6. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThey hired a hawk's likeness to do the job and the eyes are the supporting cast.

7. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA kite beats a pair of eyes by twelve points. I'd say the eyes are the junior hire.

8. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorEight years of development with the RSPB, and the researchers say gillnets have been a real challenge. They solved it with a head that spins.

9. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThere's a footnote. Fifteen seals were caught in buoy nets, against six with no device and four with kites.

10. 

    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe buoy has a following. I'd call that a strong engagement result with an unexpected audience.

11. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFifteen seals, Vera. The buoy that scares birds is a hit with the other crowd.