25 September 2025: New publication follows up and reports four years later on the effect of using pingers as deterrence for habour porpoise by-catch in Norwegian gillnet fisheries
A new article titled “Follow-up study after four years shows reduced deterrence effect of pingers on harbour porpoises in Norwegian gillnet fishery” by André Moan and Arne Bjørge has been newly published in NAMMCO Scientific Publications Volume 14.
In this study, the authors report on the effects of acoustic deterrents, known as pingers, which could significantly reduce harbour porpoise by-catch in coastal gillnet fisheries in Norway. Building on a previous study by the same authors (Moan and Bjørge (2023)) which reported data collected in 2020, this follow-up research was conducted between January and April 2024 and involved 12 fishers across 308 fishing trips using nets with and without pingers. Using statistical models, the authors estimated that pingered nets reduced by-catch rates by approximately 50%, though this effect was smaller than in a previous study.