News Animals

These devices use an electric field to scare sharks from fishing hooks

A new gadget attaches to fishing lines and emits a pulse of electricity every two seconds

Several blue, cylindrical SharkGuard devices hanging by string off a rail

By attaching cylindrical SharkGuard devices (shown) to fishing hooks, tuna fishermen can greatly reduce the number of blue sharks accidentally snagged, a study finds.

Fishtek Marine

By Darren Incorvaia

A new gadget takes advantage of sharks’ sixth sense to send the fish scurrying away from deadly hooks.

Sharks, rays and their relatives can detect tiny electric fields, thanks to bulbous organs concentrated near their heads called ampullae of Lorenzini.