Kenyan student to test whether lit-up nets can prevent turtle bycatch

A Kenyan masters student has won a scholarship from the UK’s Marine Stewardship Council to conduct research on the use of diode lights for sustainable net fishing in the Indian Ocean waters of Kenya.

Timothy Munyikana Kakai of Pwani University will trial the use of the light-emitting diodes lights in nets used by traditional fishermen to see if they can reduce the accidental bycatch of turtles.

According to the MSC, studies have revealed that illuminated fishing nets can reduce sea turtle capture by between 40 and 60 per cent.