Industrial fisheries unintentionally kill thousands of marine animals every year. Can new technology help solve this problem?
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00:00The Bay of Biscay is one of Europe's richest fishing grounds, yet for the second winter
00:09in a row, hundreds of boats must stay in port for nearly a month.
00:16Too many dolphins are dying in nets.
00:19Could we find a technological solution to keep dolphins safe while allowing fishing
00:25to continue?
00:31In the early hours of a winter morning, a small fishing boat works the Bay of Biscay,
00:35just off the coast of Brittany, France.
00:38Since two at night, the crew has hauled up many kilometers of gill nets, bringing in
00:44hake, sole, pollock and lobsters.
00:46Mathieu Clacquin, 27, leads a young team, with his two crew members just 22 and 18.
00:54They fish most days, weather permitting, but from late January they'll be forced to
00:58dock for a month, as the Bay of Biscay closes to protect dolphins from the risk of accidental
01:04entanglement in the nets.
01:09For fishers, each dead dolphin is more than just the tragic loss of an animal.
01:26It also means extra work, filing detailed reports and repairing damaged nets.
01:36The numbers are alarming.
01:38Climate change and other ecological factors are driving dolphins into coastal areas with
01:42more fishing activity.
01:44Trapped in nets, they suffocate.
01:47Some wash up on shore, while many others sink to the ocean floor.
01:52If this trend continues, entire dolphin populations in the region could be at risk.
01:57Bastion Merigot leads the Dolphin Free Project, co-funded by the European Union and the fishing
02:02sector association, France Filière Pêche.
02:28The Dolphin Free Project has created a groundbreaking device that speaks dolphins' language.
02:35Unlike loud pingers that scare marine mammals, this beacon warns dolphins of danger in a
02:42way they naturally understand.
02:44Attached to a net, the prototype detects nearby dolphins and emits a specially recorded signal
02:51to alert them of the risk.
03:14First tests look promising.
03:16Dolphins seem to hear the special beacon and react by moving away.
03:21But to be certain, more research is needed.
03:24Yves Legal heads the underwater acoustics team at IFREMER, the French research institute
03:30for ocean science in Brest.
03:33His team is testing dolphin-free beacons and two other potential solutions selected by
03:38the French government for large-scale trials.
04:02Certain fishing net materials seem to create much louder underwater echoes.
04:07Devices can detect such nets much further away.
04:11Such materials can be used as simple and affordable acoustic reflectors, turning a nearly invisible
04:17obstacle into a clear warning sign for dolphins.
04:25Fishers like Mathieu Clacquin have already tried some of these devices.
04:29Drawing from his experience with dolphin-free beacons, Mathieu suggests a few improvements,
04:35making them smaller to better fit through net-pulling machines and keeping them affordable,
04:40as his long nets would require dozens.
04:59The selected solutions will be tested on over 200 fishing boats until 2026.
05:05Aiming to reduce dolphin deaths by at least 30% and prevent future winter fishing bans.
05:14But dolphins aren't the only marine species at risk.
05:19Trawlnets aren't very selective.
05:21They catch everything larger than their mesh size.
05:24Fish can't escape these moving walls, and juvenile or protected fish often get trapped
05:30alongside target species.
05:33To address this, scientists at Yvramers Lorient Lab have developed a smarter trawlnet with
05:39an automatic trapdoor that lets unintended catch escape.
05:44Cameras inside the net and AI algorithms work together, sorting the catch in real time.
05:50The smart net knows which species to release and which to keep, giving unwanted fish a
05:55second chance while ensuring target species remain in the net.
05:59This concept is part of another EU-funded project called Marine Beacon.
06:22Lab tests look promising, but now comes the real challenge.
06:27Tests at sea.
06:28Fishing boats are beginning to deploy this smart trawl in harsh ocean conditions.
06:34Engineers must prove their invention can survive deep waters, work reliably, and be simple
06:39enough for fishers to use.
06:58It's estimated that 40% of all fish catches globally are unintended.
07:03Low-value fish often get dumped back at sea, dead.
07:08AI and other new technologies can help catch only what's truly needed.
07:14Selective nets reduce waste, save more marine life, and make better use of fishers' time
07:20and effort at sea.
07:22Selective nets and dolphin-friendly devices do more than protect marine life.
07:45They help chart a course toward a smarter future for fishing.