This paper describes, for the first time, that scallops can be attracted into static fishing gear using LED lights. This novel finding presents an opportunity for the development of a new, low impact fishing method for scallops. Traditionally, wild caught scallops are primarily fished using dredges and trawls. Due to their penetrative nature, the interaction of this towed gear with the seabed can cause significant damage to sensitive marine habitats and species. Diver caught scallops have been a low impact alternative source, however, this sector can only supply limited quantities due to logistical constraints. In this study, we investigate the potential for scallops to be fished using illuminated standard commercial crustacean pots. We assessed the effect of using light in a range of pot designs on scallop, brown crab, lobster and crawfish, and spider crab catches in Cornwall between December 2020 and February 2021. A total of 77 strings were shot, deploying 1886 pots of six treatment types. The fishing grounds used in the trial are traditionally potted for crustacea and are not renowned scallop beds. Despite this, all treatments with lights retained scallops and of the 518 scallops recorded, 99.6% (n = 516) were caught in pots with lights. A modified parlour pot with lights (treatment F) caught scallops most effectively, with a maximum catch rate of 19 scallops per string (23–24 pots per string) per 24-, and the maximum number of scallops recorded in a single pot was 24. We show that simple and inexpensive modifications to existing crustacean pots present fishers the opportunity to augment their existing crustacean catches with a low environmental impact, premium scallop product. Further refinement to pot design and the lights are needed to enhance scallop and crustacean retention before a commercially viable fishery can be established. We discuss the opportunities that these new findings present to the fishing industry and marine managers.

本文首次描述了可以使用 LED 灯将扇贝吸引到静态渔具中。这一新发现为开发一种新的、低影响的扇贝捕捞方法提供了机会。传统上，野生捕获的扇贝主要使用挖泥船和拖网捕捞。由于它们具有穿透性，这种拖曳装置与海床的相互作用会对敏感的海洋栖息地和物种造成重大损害。潜水员捕获的扇贝一直是一种低影响的替代来源，但是，由于后勤限制，该部门只能提供有限的数量。在这项研究中，我们调查了使用照明标准商业甲壳类罐捕捞扇贝的潜力。我们评估了在扇贝、褐蟹、龙虾和小龙虾的一系列锅设计中使用光的效果，和 2020 年 12 月至 2021 年 2 月期间在康沃尔捕获的蜘蛛蟹。总共拍摄了 77 根绳子，部署了 1886 个六种处理类型的盆。试验中使用的渔场传统上是为甲壳类动物盆栽的，而不是著名的扇贝床。尽管如此，所有光照处理都保留了扇贝，在记录的 518 只扇贝中，99.6% (n = 516) 被捕获在有光照的花盆中。带灯的改进型客厅锅（处理 F）最有效地捕获扇贝，每 24 次的最大捕获率为每串 19 个扇贝（每串 23-24 个锅），单个锅中记录的最大扇贝数量为 24 . 我们表明，对现有甲壳类动物罐进行简单而廉价的改造，为渔民提供了增加其现有甲壳类动物捕捞量的机会，这些产品对环境影响低，优质扇贝产品。在建立商业上可行的渔业之前，需要进一步改进罐设计和灯光以增强扇贝和甲壳类动物的保留。我们讨论了这些新发现为渔业和海洋管理者带来的机会。