By Ross Brooks, Source: PSFK

When fisherman pull their nets onboard, there is often a wide variety of fish and ocean wildlife – including sea turtles and dolphins – that get thrown back into the sea. The only problem is that many of them are already dead or dying, which poses a huge threat to sustainable fish populations and marine ecosystems. Thankfully, one British designer has come up with SafetyNet, a new trawling system that uses LED lights and clever design to reduce the amount of bycatch.

To put the problem in perspective quickly, last year British fishermen discarded two out of every three fish caught, while in the US, Oceana calculated that discarded fish could be worth as much as $1 billion every year.

Dan Watson, a freelance designer who works across various fields, has devised a solution that uses fish physiology and psychology to make trawling more of a selective process. The key problem his design deals with is the fact that when nets are being dragged through the water, the meshes in the net are squeezed shut which prevents juvenile fish from escaping. Dan’s solution is simple enough – a reinforcing ring fitted with LEDs that holds the meshes open, and offers a high contrast target through which younger fish can escape.

Read the rest at: PSFK