Testing low-cost mitigation devices to reduce dolphin depredation in artisanal trammel nets in the northern Alboran Sea
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22370/rbmo.2025.60.2.5947Keywords:
artisanal fisheries, trammel nets, low-cost mitigation devices, dolphin depredationAbstract
Dolphin depredation is a significant problem for artisanal net fisheries worldwide. Interactions between dolphins and fishing nets can lead to entanglement, gear damage, and loss of catch. Although acoustic deterrents, such as dolphin anti-predation pingers, are widely used, they are costly. The objective of this study was to develop and assess the effectiveness of new low-cost devices to reduce depredation by common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in artisanal fisheries in the Alboran Sea (Mediterranean). These innovative devices included recycled glass bottles and compact discs (CDs), based on the premise that they could impact the dolphins' echolocation sense. A total of 51 experimental fishing operations were conducted at depths ranging from 4 to 29 m off the coast of Malaga, Spain. Results indicate that the new low-cost bottle and CDs based devices had a deterrent effect on depredation by dolphins. A statistically significant logistic model was derived for the observed probability of depredation by dolphins in relation to the use of recycled glass bottles and CDs as acoustic mitigation devices. Limitations of these new low-cost devices are discussed, along with future research directions and their relationship to environmental and fisheries variables.
Downloads
References
Aguilera R, JA Camiñas & M Molina. 2020. Interactions between cetaceans and small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean. The case of Northern Alboran Sea, Andalucía, Spain, 90 pp. Low Impact Fishers of Europe, Bruxelles.
Akaike H. 1973. Information theory and an extension of the maximum likelihood principle. In: Petrov BN & F Csaki (eds). Proceedings of the second international symposium on information theory, pp. 267-281. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest.
Ayadi A, M Ghorbel & MN Bradai. 2013. Do pingers reduce interactions between bottlenose dolphins and trammel nets around the Kerkennah Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)? Cahiers de Biologie Marine 54: 375-383.
Báez JC, JA Camiñas, R Aguilera, J Castro-Gutiérrez & R Real. 2023. When non-target wildlife species and alien species both affect negatively to an artisanal fishery: the case of trammel net in the Alboran Sea. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 33: 785-799. <https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-023-09759-6>
Baro J, T García-Jiménez & JM Serna-Quintero. 2021. Description of artisanal fisheries in Northern Alboran Sea. In: Báez JC, JT Vázquez, JA Camiñas & MM Idrissi (eds). Alboran Sea - ecosystem and marine resources, pp. 521-542. Springer Nature, Cham.
Bielli A, J Alfaro-Shigueto, PD Doherty, BJ Godley, C Ortiz, A Pasara, JH Wang & JC Mangel. 2020. An illuminating idea to reduce bycatch in the Peruvian small-scale gillnet fishery. Biological Conservation 241, 108277. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108277>
Brotons JM, AM Grau & L Rendell. 2008. Estimating the impact of interactions between bottlenose dolphins and artisanal fisheries around the Balearic Islands. Marine Mammal Science 24: 112-127.
Bruno CA, V Caserta, P Salzeri, G Bonanno-Ferraro, F Pecoraro, A Lucchetti, L Boitani & MF Blasi. 2021. Acoustic deterrent devices as mitigation tool to prevent dolphin-fishery interactions in the Aeolian Archipelago (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Mediterranean Marine Science 22(2): 408-421.
Camiñas JA. 1990. Pesquerías artesanales mediterráneas: el caso andaluz. Revista de Estudios Agrosociales 151: 83-118.
Carlström J, P Berggren & NJC Tregenza. 2009. Spatial and temporal impact of pingers on porpoises. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 66(1): 72-82.
Cousido-Rocha M, M González-Carballo, M Coll & JC Báez. 2023. Differential effect of fisheries to the COVID-19 pandemic in the region of Andalusia (Spain). Marine Policy 148, 105442. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105442>
Cox T, A Read, D Swanner, K Urian & D Waples. 2004. Behavioral responses of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, to gillnets and acoustic alarms. Biological Conservation 115: 203-212.
Dawson S, S Northridge, D Waples & A Read. 2013. To ping or not to ping: the use of active acoustic devices in mitigating interactions between small cetaceans and gillnet fisheries. Endangered Species Research 19: 201-221.
Erbe C, S Wintner, SFJ Dudley & S Plön. 2016. Revisiting acoustic deterrence devices: Long-term bycatch data from South Africa's Bather Protection Nets. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics 27(1), 010025.
Findlay CR, HD Ripple, F Coomber, K Froud, O Harries, NCF Geel, SV Calderan, S Benjamins, D Risch & B Wilson. 2018. Mapping widespread and increasing underwater noise pollution from acoustic deterrent devices. Marine Pollution Bulletin 135: 1042-1050. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.08.042>
Fouda L, JE Wingfield, AD Fandel, A Garrod, KB Hodge, AN Rice & H Bailey. 2018. Dolphins simplify their vocal calls in response to increased ambient noise. Biology Letters 14, 20180484.
Garagouni M, G Avgerinou, FA Mouchlianitis, G Minos & K Ganias. 2022. Questionnaire and experimental surveys show that dolphins cause substantial losses to a gillnet fishery in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science 79(9): 2552-2561.
Gazo M, J Gonzalvo & A Aguilar. 2008. Pingers as deterrents of bottlenose dolphins interacting with trammel nets. Fisheries Research 92: 70-75.
Griffiths RC, R Robles, SR Coppola & JA Camiñas. 2007. Is there a future for artisanal fisheries in the western Mediterranean?, 106 pp. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Report, Rome.
Hosmer DW & S Lemeshow. 2000. Applied logistic regression, 375 pp. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Idrissi MM & M Benziane. 2021. Description of artisanal fisheries in southern Alboran Sea. In: Báez JC, JT Vázquez, JA Camiñas & MM Idrissi (eds). Alboran Sea - Ecosystem and marine resources, pp. 543-557. Springer Nature, Cham.
Jog K, D Sutaria, A Diedrich, A Grech & H Marsh. 2022. Marine mammal interactions with fisheries: Review of research and management trends across commercial and small-scale Fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 758013. <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.758013>
Kaddouri A, M Analla, N Tamsouri, M Aksissou, H Awadh, S Benchoucha & F Darasi. 2022. Impact of the bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) depredation on purse-seine fishery in the Region of M’diq (Northwestern Morocco). Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries 26(6): 111-124.
Karamitros G, GA Gkafas, IA Giantsis, P Martsikalis, M Kavouras & A Exadactylos. 2020. Model-based distribution and abundance of three delphinidae in the Mediterranean. Animals 10(2), 260.
Kiszka JJ, M Moazzam, G Boussarie, U Shahid, B Khan & R Nawaz. 2021. Setting the net lower: A potential low-cost mitigation method to reduce cetacean bycatch in drift gillnet fisheries. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 31(11): 3111-3119. <https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3706>
Kremers D, A Célérier, B Schaal, S Campagna, M Trabalon, M Böye, M Hausberger & A Lemasson. 2016. Sensory perception in Cetaceans: Part I- Current knowledge about Dolphin senses as a representative species. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 4, 49.
Li Veli D, A Petetta, G Barone, I Ceciarini, E Franchi, L Marsili, G Pietroluongo, C Mazzoldi, D Holcer, S D’Argenio, S Guccione, RL Testa, MF Blasi, MF Cinti, SL Console, I Rinaudo & A Lucchetti. 2023. Fishers’ perception on the interaction between dolphins and fishing activities in Italian and Croatian waters. Diversity 15, 133. <https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020133>
Lloret J, I Cowx, H Cabral, M Castro, T Font, J Gonçalves, A Gordoa, E Hoefnagel, S Matic-Skoko, E Mikkelsen, B Morales-Nin, D Moutopoulos, M Muñoz, M Santos, P Pintassilgo, C Pita, K Stergiou, V Ünal, P Veiga & K Erzini. 2018. Small-scale coastal fisheries in European Seas are not what they were: ecological, social and economic changes. Marine Policy 98: 176-186.
Lobo JM, A Jiménez-Valverde & R Real. 2008. AUC: a misleading measure of the performance of predictive distribution models. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 145-151.
Maccarrone V, G Buffa, V Di Stefano, F Filiciotto, S Mazzola & G Buscaino. 2014. Economic assessment of dolphin depredation damages and pinger use in artisanal fisheries in the Archipelago of Egadi Islands (Sicily). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 14: 173-181.
Marçalo A, F Carvalho, M Frade, L Bentes, P Monteiro, J Pontes, S Alexandre, F Oliveira, A Kingston, K Erzini & J Gonçalves. 2025. Reducing cetacean interactions with bottom set-nets and purse seining using acoustic deterrent devices in southern Iberia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystem 35, e70061. <https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70061>
Marçalo A, V Samel, F Carvalho, M Frade, K Erzini & JMS Gonçalves. 2024. Evaluating dolphin interactions with bottom-set net fisheries off southern Iberian Atlantic waters. Fisheries Research 278, 107100. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107100>
McPherson GR, D Ballam, J Stapley, S Peverell, DH Cato, N Gribble, C Clague & J Lien. 2004. Acoustic alarms to reduce marine mammal bycatch from gillnets in Queensland waters: optimising the alarm type and spacing. Proceedings of Acoustics, Proceedings of Acoustics, November 3-5, 2004, Gold Coast, pp. 363-368.
Omeyer LCM, PD Doherty, S Dolman, R Enever, A Reese, N Tregenza, R Williams & BJ Godley. 2020. Assessing the effects of banana pingers as a bycatch mitigation device for harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Frontiers in Marine Science 7, 285. <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00285>
Pardalou A, A Adamidou & A Tsikliras. 2022. Dolphin depredation and damage accumulation on different set nets in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 271, 107866. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107866>
Peng C-YJ, KL Lee & GM Ingersoll. 2002. An introduction to logistic regression analysis and reporting. The Journal of Educational Research 96(1): 3-14. <https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670209598786>
Read AJ. 2008. The looming crisis: interactions between marine mammals and fisheries. Journal of Mammalogy 89: 541-548.
Teh LCL & D Pauly. 2018. Who brings in the fish? The relative contribution of small-scale and industrial fisheries to food security in Southeast Asia. Frontiers in Marine Science 5, 44. <https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00044>
Waples DM, LH Thorne, LEW Hodge, EK Burke, KW Urian & AJ Read. 2013. A field test of acoustic deterrent devices used to reduce interactions between bottlenose dolphins and a coastal gillnet fishery. Biological Conservation 157: 163-171.
Wisniewska DM, M Johnson, J Teilmann, L Rojano-Doñate, J Shearer, S Sveegaard, LA Miller, U Siebert & PT Madsen. 2016. Ultra-high foraging rates of harbor porpoises make them vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. Current Biology 26: 1441-1446. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.069>
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 José Carlos Báez, Jairo Castro-Gutiérrez, Juan Antonio Camiñas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
• Los autores que publican en la RBMO transfieren sus derechos de publicación a la Universidad de Valparaíso, conservando los derechos de propiedad intelectual para difundir ampliamente el artículo y la revista en cualquier formato.
• La RBMO autoriza el uso de figuras, tablas y extractos breves de su colección de manuscritos, en trabajos científicos y educacionales, siempre que se incluya la fuente de información.
