'Scallop Discos': How Some Glitzy Lights Could Lead To A Low-Impact Fishery

Short Wave

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🗓️ 7 September 2022

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

Scientists in the UK have discovered that if they take a pot meant for catching crabs and just add some bright lights, scallops flock through the door like it's Studio 54. Scallops are normally fished via trawling or dredging—methods that can cause lasting damage to delicate seafloor ecosystems. So this accidental discovery (the lights were initially added to attract crab) could have a significant impact on scallop fishing. We talk with one of the scientists, Robert Enever of Fishtek Marine, a company that creates sustainable fishing gear, about this collaboration between science, industry and conservation.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:04.8	Thomas, are you going to share your screen for the video or is this the one where I swear?
0:09.8	That's Robert N.
0:10.8	He's the head of science and conservation at Fischtec Marine, a company that creates sustainable
0:15.6	fishing gear.
0:16.6	I didn't know that one was widely available actually.
0:19.1	Nevermind.
0:20.1	And this is a video of Rob on about.
0:23.0	His team had just hauled up a crab pot from the ocean floor.
0:27.2	That's basically this black mesh cage and there's some little crabs in it as well as a bunch
0:32.3	of shells.
0:33.3	Okay, so here we are.
0:37.0	Six miles off, Lanzen, which is in the south-west of the UK on board the fishing vessel
0:42.4	Three Jays and the captain John Ashweth just pulled the first pot.
0:46.6	Hey!
0:47.6	How many scallops in that one, John?
0:49.6	You can see everyone's really excited.
0:51.6	Three.
0:52.6	It's got a dozen or so scallops in there and that's something that no one's ever, ever
0:57.1	seen before.
0:58.1	Ah, it doesn't go well.
1:00.1	One, two, three.
	...

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