ARCHIVED - Galician fishermen design devices to save turtles caught by longline boats

The fishermen worked with a local blacksmith to design two devices which could save the lives of sea turtles.

The fishermen are members of OR.PA.GU, an organisation comprising 36 fishing vessels which works to support and develop the long-line fishing technique in Galicia and is based in A Guarda (La Guardia), Pontevedra.

After taking a first aid course to help the post-capture survival of turtles accidentally caught during longline fishing, the longliner fishermen of A Guarda in Galicia decided to create special tools to try and minimise the risk of mortality when accidentally catching turtles on longlines whilst hauling in the catch.

A local blacksmith made the first prototypes and before the end of this year all the ships of the organization will have their two “turtle rescuers” on board.

This initiative was the result of a course given in 2018 by the Catalan environmental organization Submon aimed at mitigating the effects of these unwanted catches.

In this workshop, Mariluz Parga, a veterinarian with a Master in Wild Animal Conservation from the NGO Submon non-profit organisation, taught first aid and proper techniques for the extraction of hooks and subsequent release of the turtles and explained that the most dangerous moment was when the turtles were hauled up by the line from the water. This made the fishermen think and, after learning about initiatives being taken by other fleets such as the North American one that fishes in the banks of Newfoundland, they decided to design their own “turtle rescuers”, adapted to the particularities of a longline boat and to the different sizes of turtle that are usually encountered during fishing here in Spain.

With the help of the blacksmith from A Guarda, they worked for several months on the design of different prototypes that were adapted following testing, the final choice being the two devices selected.

These hardly take up space on board, they can be hoisted without problem by the ship's crane and can safely lift medium-sized turtles and specimens of more than 125 kilos. Made of stainless steel and with nets from the boats themselves, Orpagu's “turtle rescuers” are already registered and patented and, before the end of this year, all the association's boats will have their two devices on board.

In this way, the survival rate of sea turtles captured by this fleet is increased substantially, as most of the time extraction of the hooks is feasible and the fishermen have already been trained in the handling of turtles, understand how to calm them and return them to the sea.
For the blacksmith from A Guarda, César Cadilla, Orpagu's commission was a challenge, but he viewed it very much as an exercise in fishing sustainability of the oceans. To create the prototypes, he worked hand in hand with Orlando Ameal, Juan Carlos Cadilla, Joaquín Cadilla, José Mauri, Pablo Rodríguez and Jesús Manuel Pérez, all of them shipowners and fishermen who firmly believe that the sector must do everything to guarantee the survival of the environment and promote selective and sustainable fishing

The surface longline is a type of fishing that consists of casting a line with thousands of hooks into the sea. Sometimes it does result in accidental catches, but is a selective way of fishing and specifically targets selected species, generally minimising bycatches which is why it is considered as a sustainable activity and respectful with the marine environment.

Bycatch is the act of catching unwanted species in a fishing operation, i.e. all those species that are not the target of the fishery. Some may argue that bycatch is an acceptable consequence of being able to supply the world with wild species of fish and seafood. Often, the associated mortality values are so high that they threaten populations and species. Data indicate that, annually, a minimum of 7.3 million tons of marine life are caught as bycatch.

The problem is aggravated if the bycatch occurs with protected species. Normally the term bycatch is used to refer to those accidental captures of marine mega-fauna species (marine mammals, turtles, sea birds, sharks and other large fish species).

For an interesting selection of special Spanish seasonal gifts from the organisation which could be sent to likeminded individuals, go to their webpage: OR.PA.GU