October 21, 2019 — A fisherman on the North Carolina coast will test a device next summer that could help save rare sharks.
The Virginian-Pilot reports the waterproof gadget would be connected just above the hooks on a long line used for commercial harvesting of species such as tuna and swordfish. It would emit an electric pulse that drives sharks away from the baited hook.
October 18, 2019 — Fun fact: Sharks, unlike fish, can sense electrical stimuli, according to scientists.
Researchers in North Carolina are hoping to use that biological trait to their advantage with the help of a small electronic device designed to protect sharks from overfishing, N.C. State University announced in a press release this month.
The device, which “has shown promise in the laboratory,” is reportedly ready to start pilot testing off the Outer Banks.
“Several sharks are overfished or are experiencing overfishing on the U.S. East Coast,” fisheries extension specialist Sara Mirabilio said in the release. “Populations of scalloped hammerhead, dusky, sandbar and blacknose sharks all could benefit from an effective deterrent from commercial fishing gear.”
The device could also help fishermen save time and money. Sharks like to chomp on fish while they’re hooked — leaving fishermen with just a head by the time the fish are reeled in, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
Capt. Charlie Locke, an Outer Banks fisherman, has partnered with researchers on the project.
October 17, 2019 — An Outer Banks fisherman next summer will test a device about the size of a spark plug that could save rare sharks.
The waterproof gadget with a transistor inside would be connected just above the hooks on a long line used for commercial harvesting of species such as tuna and swordfish. It would emit an electric pulse that drives sharks away from the baited hook.
“If this works it will be huge,” said Outer Banks fisherman Charlie Locke. “It could benefit fisheries all over the world.”
Sharks swarm the waters around the Outer Banks with many species spawning and giving birth here.
Hungry sharks gobble chunks from large tunas on commercial fishing lines. Charter boat anglers often reel in nothing but a fish head after a shark has bitten off the rest.
“We already know there is a healthy population here,” Locke said.