Large fishing vessels create an even larger ecological footprint than previously suspected , a team of researchers from the University of Exeter and the Cork Center for Coastal and Marine Resources in the UK has found.
Scientists have studied, using trackers that use a geolocation system, the movements and habits of the seabirds that usually roam these boats.
Thus, they have found that the behavior of different marine predators , such as common gannets that follow trawlers, for example, is altered by the presence of these vessels and their activity to such an extent that they can determine their distribution. and strategies for foraging.
Gannets dive in search of prey, but they also feed on catches that are discarded by fishermen. In fact, experts have observed that they eat fish that habitually live deeper than these birds would reach by submerging.
After studying the movements of 74 specimens from six colonies near Ireland and those of different fishing vessels, they found that these influenced their behavior even if they were located more than 11 kilometers away. According to ecologist Thomas Bodey, who coordinated the study, “the ship creates a kind of footprint of about 22 kilometers in diameter; it is much greater than we expected ”.
Another of the authors of the research, zoologist Mark Jessopp, highlights that these birds respond differently even depending on the type of gear carried by the boats, which indicates the degree of ability they have developed to benefit from human presence. In their report, published in Current Biology , these scientists add that their findings could be used to improve conservation strategies for different species and fishery resources.
