The Birds and the Buoys: Using Googly Eyes to Avert Extinction

A pair of looming eyes scared seabirds away from fishing nets in which they are often entangled.

Every day, thousands of hooks and nets meant for fish end up catching seabirds — a global problem that is pushing many seabird species to the brink of extinction. But no fishing gear may do more damage than the gillnet, which entangles and kills at least 400,000 seabirds each year. What if all it took to save them was a pair of googly eyes? It’s not quite that simple, but a team of scientists, conservationists and engineers are developing a device that has the potential to save many seabirds from gillnets. This device, known as the looming-eyes buoy, is essentially a floating scarecrow.