Eric Stroud and his wife Jean Stroud, founded Shark Defense Technologies in 2001. The company focuses it's efforts on shark bycatch reduction technology, and is the primary researcher into chemical, electrochemical, and magnetic shark repellents.
In 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a grant worth $234,311 to Shark Defense Technologies and Key West Community College to develop SuperPolyShark for use in the field.
They tested the product, a polymer, by injecting it into the bodies of squid, used as bait on the longlines, in the Straits of Florida on the commercial longline boat Outlaw. Using 400 hook sets, the squids with polymer caught 35% fewer sharks over a 16-hour soak than lines using squid without the polymer. The shark bycatch was further reduced by 71% in a 4-hour soak.
The polymer wears off over time and therefore is more effective for shorter soak times. Therefore, Strouds' goal is to develop the polymer to be at least 70% effective for a full 16 hours, the average time a longline boat will soak its bait.
If effective this shark repellent could reduce not only shark bycatch, but also gear coast from lost hooks, cut lines, and other shark related damage. Fisherman will also have a greater number of salable fish on their line with fewer sharks biting onto the line and into already caught fish.
Read the original article: Fishery Research: A squid that a shark won't eat
No comments:
Post a Comment