Question

Does anyone have any solid information about how often birds (e.g. cormorants, mergansers, gulls etc) steal fish from any sort of fish trap? Fish traps include, but are not limited to, fyke nets, pound nets, gill nets etc. I'm not looking for info on birds getting caught in the traps, rather any cases where the birds actually take the fish in the trap. Ideally I'm looking for published articles, but grey literature or any reports are useful. If you can think of anything more or less suitable, please let me know.

Answer 1

Birds can steal fish from fish traps, as seen in incidents of bycatches and opportunistic feeding behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information provided, there is some evidence that birds can steal fish from fish traps. The bycatches in fishing methods like gillnetting and trawl netting can haul in large numbers of incidental captures, which can include fish that have been taken by birds. Additionally, there are reports of birds, such as herring gulls, opportunistically taking fish from traps to feed themselves or their chicks.