Good news from the ocean
Using turtle vocalisations to prevent accidental capture
Scientists are using turtles' vocalisations to steer them away from fishing nets.
- 1mn read
A few news items add a positive note to the ocean of information we're reading about the marine environment!
Yes, turtles long thought to be silent produce sounds in response to social stimuli or in dangerous situations.
Scientists came up with the idea of using their warning signals to steer them away from the fishing nets that accidentally capture 800 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) every year in Martinique, using acoustic devices that have already proved their worth with cetaceans.
The study, carried out in Martinique between 2018 and 2023, showed that 95% of turtles reacted by moving away when they heard the warning sounds of their fellow turtles, especially when these sounds were growls.
While they did not react to natural sounds such as earthquakes.
This study is only at the experimental stage, but this acoustic approach seems promising and could perhaps join what is already being done in the Bay of Biscay to prevent the accidental capture of dolphins.
Sources : The Conversation, Nature
Photo : Brocken Inaglory - CC BY-SA 3.0 /Wikimedia
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