March 22, 2021 — A 360-degree camera observes the deck of a boat off New Zealand. As the fishers bring up their lines, they find they have ensnared a black petrel. The bird, with its black feathers and pale-yellow hooked beak, breeds only in New Zealand and is one of about 5,000 adults worldwide. Nobody on board noticed it diving into the water and getting trapped. The boat’s main fishing line is tens of kilometers long, with thinner subsidiary lines branching off. From these lines hang barbed hooks.
The New Zealand government and conservation bodies have been working to reduce rare bird bycatch. The fishers hurry to remove the petrel and return it to the ocean before the onboard observers see what’s happened. But the camera sees and uploads all.
The authorities hope to use electronic monitoring like this to find out how many black petrels die every year after being caught in fishing gear, and if the fishing vessels are taking measures to prevent it.
Thankfully, this was just a drill, the bird a dummy bought on board by the crew. They’re working with the government, helping to train software to identify black petrel bycatch.