Iluminar El Mar
An initiative to implement bycatch reduction technologies in Ecuador's artisanal fleet in collaboration with fishing cooperatives, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, non-profit organizations, local biologists and university students.
Project Type: Bycatch Reduction and Implementation
Location: Ecuador
Administrative Co-Lead: Mare Nostrum
Prinicipal Collaborator: EcoPacific+
Phase 1 Funded By: UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge
Project Overview
From Nets to Solutions: A Collaborative Effort to Save the East Pacific Leatherback
Iluminar El Mar (Illuminate the Sea), co-led with the Mare Nostrum Foundation, in collaboration with EcoPacific+ and funded by the UNDP’s Ocean Innovation Challenge, is dedicated to co-designing innovative strategies to reduce incidental catch, aiming to increase the sustainability of artisanal gillnet fishing practices by addressing one of the major threats to migratory marine species: fisheries bycatch.
What is fisheries bycatch?
Fisheries bycatch is the accidental catch of non-target species in fishing gear and the greatest threat facing the leatherback sea turtle. Bycatch has driven a decline of over 90% in the Eastern Pacific leatherback population in recent decades. With fewer than 1,000 adult females projected to remain, this subpopulation faces an imminent risk of extinction without urgent action.
Off the coast of Ecuador, thousands of sea turtles, sharks, rays, and cetaceans are unintentionally caught each year in artisanal gillnet fisheries.
What is the challenge being addressed?
Bycatch is the main threat to endangered marine species. In the Eastern Pacific, scientific estimates suggest that in Ecuador occurs 87% of bycatch of sea turtles, making it a critical priority for conservation efforts.
By addressing the threat of fisheries bycatch on a substantial scale, we are working to prevent the extinction of the critically endangered East Pacific leatherback. In collaboration with local fisher cooperatives, local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and academic partners, this bycatch reduction pilot project aims to safeguard these majestic creatures and the marine ecosystems they depend on.
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Project Components
By using the tested methods of technology below across collective fishing practices, we are helping to substantially reduce the accidental capture of leatherbacks.
Background & Goals
Ecuador is one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally recognize the Rights of Nature.
This approach seeks to redefine exploitative relationships with the natural world, shifting the view of Nature as property to exploit to a living system with its own right to exist, persist, regenerate vital cycles, and have legal representation in court. We are working to advance this legal framework globally by using it as a foundation for conservation efforts that support both biodiversity and local livelihoods through sustainable fishing practices.
Why is the leatherback sea turtle important to fishing communities?
The leatherback sea turtle has been nicknamed the “fisherman’s best friend”. These gentle giants play a vital role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems. By feeding primarily on jellyfish, leatherbacks help control jellyfish populations, which in turn protects fish larvae, an essential food source for many fish species and a foundation of healthy fisheries. In this way, leatherbacks indirectly support fish abundance, making them valuable allies to coastal communities that depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
What is our primary goal?
Our goal is to translate that legal commitment into meaningful, long-term safeguards through the framework of the Rights of Nature. Iluminar El Mar puts this belief into action. In partnership with coastal communities, we are co-developing solutions that reduce bycatch while supporting the people whose lives and livelihoods depend on the sea.
Impact & Results
Phase 1 Implementation
Together with our collaborators and local partners, we ran a pilot study to determine whether green LED lights could reduce bycatch without negatively affecting fishers' target species in the Ecuadorian artisanal gillnet fishery.
Results are in and they are promising!
The lights work by leveraging the differences in how species see. Sea turtles, like humans, can detect the green LED lights and avoid the nets. Most target fish, however, don’t distinguish the lights from the blue ocean, so catch rates are not significantly affected.
We found a significant reduction in the capture of threatened species, including sea turtles, sharks, rays, and cetaceans, with no substantial decrease in catch by weight for most target fish. While some variations occurred, the overall outcome strongly supports the use of LED lights as a low-cost, scalable bycatch solution. A majority of fishers want to continue using the lights and said they would be willing to invest in them.
Phase 2 Implementation
Early in 2025, we held a workshop to survey fishers' experiences, preferences, and insights. The group then voted on the design to be used in the next round of trials. This co-created approach ensures that the solution is not only scientifically sound but also locally relevant and sustainable for long-term use.
We are hoping to deploy this next-generation setup across 100 vessels in 3 years, expanding to new coastal communities and reaching 400 fishers.
This simple yet effective solution holds tremendous potential.
When deployed across 100 vessels over the course of a single fishing season, we project a substantial reduction in bycatch rates.
Below, we estimate the following numbers of marine species saved from accidental capture. In five years, we expect this initiative to drive a substantial further decline in bycatch, protecting even more marine life.
Be A Part of the Movement
Iluminar El Mar is more than a research project.
It’s a growing movement co-created with the very people who know the ocean best. Together, we can light the way toward a sustainable solution that benefits marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
Explore how your generosity will power vital progress in our LED light trials.
