Fishtek and the RSPB float a spinning 'eye' buoy to scare seabirds away from gillnets

BBC News reported in 2026 that Fishtek Marine, a Devon firm, developed the Looming Eye Buoy with the RSPB and trialled it off the Cornish coast. The University of Exeter analysed the results. The 'floating scarecrow' is meant to stop birds such as guillemots and razorbills, both on the UK Amber List, from being caught in nets.

The two-year trial involved 10 Cornish fishermen. Besides the buoy, which uses a spinning top with an animated eye effect, researchers deployed a commercially available kite shaped like a bird of prey, called a scarybird kite. Fishtek Marine said the chances of birds being caught fell by 59% with the buoys and by 71% with the kites.

Fishtek's senior fisheries scientist Tom Hooper said any technology used at sea must be simple and robust, so working with fishermen taught the team how the devices were used and how to refine them. The RSPB's Yann Rouxel called the result a milestone in reducing seabird bycatch without impeding gillnet fishers.

Birds that dive near nets react to predator-like eyes and shapes.

A buoy and a kite add no new fishing restriction, so fishers can keep working.

Working with the fishermen exposed how the devices were actually used at sea.

A simple, robust device can survive harsh marine conditions.

A cheap deterrent that works with fishers' routines can beat a rule that forces them to stop fishing.

Fishtek said fishing can continue while reducing effects on seabirds, and that it can refine the devices to fit fishers' operational needs. The article is a trial report; it gives no adoption numbers beyond the 10 fishermen.