The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) have recently published a step-by-step guide which shows tuna fishers how to build “jelly-FADs.” The jelly-FAD is a new model for a more ecologically sustainable fish aggregating device (FAD) design.
Jelly-FADs are a new design for non-entangling, biodegradable FADs which is more sustainable and durable than earlier versions of this type of FAD. The design was inspired by jellyfish, which - as lightweight, free-swimming marine animals - drift gracefully in ocean currents. Like jellyfish, jelly-FADs achieve “neutral buoyancy” in the ocean - they neither sink nor rise.
You can learn more about the development of biodegradable, non-entangling FADs through ISSF's new, immersive web feature “Fresh Thinking About FADs”. The interactive content includes animated infographics and under-water photography. It describes how FADs have changed over time; the environmental drawbacks of conventional FAD designs; the jelly-FAD characteristics that help to reduce bycatch and ocean pollution; and science-based solutions for more sustainable FAD design and management, which ultimately support healthier tuna fisheries and oceans.
Building a Jelly-FAD