Porpoise entanglement recorded in real time, revealing calls and escape attempts
Researchers at the University of St Andrews have gained unprecedented insight into marine mammal behavior when they become tangled in fishing nets. In a paper published Aug. 26 in Royal Society Open Science, researchers from the Sea Mammal Research Unit and Scottish Oceans Institute at St Andrews discovered that their passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems, deployed on a gill net, had…
Researchers from the University of St Andrews have captured real-time footage of two harbor porpoises becoming entangled in a fishing net off the coast of Cornwall. The recording, conducted using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) systems, offers unprecedented insights into the animals' behavior during the bycatch event. The net, deployed for static fishing, was situated near where the porpoises were foraging.
One porpoise became entangled, while the other attempted to escape and communicated with its companion through distinct call types. Despite the porpoise's attempts, researchers observed that the animal was unable to break free from the net. This unique recording could pave the way for developing new techniques, such as acoustically reflective nets, larger nets for stronger species, and acoustic deterrent devices designed to ward off certain species.
These findings, published in Royal Society Open Science, could significantly contribute to reducing the bycatch mortality rate of dolphins and porpoises, which is estimated at around 1,000 annually in the UK.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
