Three northern fishermen have won a national competition for ideas to keep seabirds away from recreational fishing boats and out of harm’s way.

Aucklander Kevin Eddington won first prize of a charter trip with Geordie Murman on Ocean Ranger out of Leigh for himself and three friends.  

Runners Up Lew Hill and Sam Mossman each won $500 worth of Berkley Gulp® fishing products and petrol for their boats.

Southern Seabird Solutions ran the ‘Fishing for Ideas’ competition to encourage recreational fishers to come forward with ideas they have found effective.

"This competition was about tapping into some of the Kiwi ingenuity and knowledge that's out there to keep birds away from baits and hooks, and we're very interested in some of the ideas that have come forward.  The ideas look promising and the next step is to test them to see how effectively they can mitigate seabird interactions."

The judging panel was led by seabird bycatch mitigation expert Barry Baker, who also heads an international team of experts set up by Southern Seabird Solutions to assess and mentor promising ideas.

Winner Kevin Eddington came up with his Super Soaker idea after a Christmas day in a friend's swimming pool.

"Everyone was squirting water at each other, and I could see that this might be useful out on the boat, so I bought a Super Soaker and tried it out.  It works really well.  You squirt water at seabirds when they get too close and they just move away. "

Runner up Lew Hill also discovered his technique, which he calls Bucket Brigade, by accident.

"We were out cleaning the boat one day and there were birds hanging around the back.  I chucked a bucket of water over the side of the boat and it accidentally went over the birds. I noticed that they flew away, that they didn't really like getting splashed."

The second runner up is Sam Mossman, a keen fisher in the Hauraki Gulf.   His entry in the Fishing for Ideas competition identified no fewer than five ways to avoid or manage seabird interactions, based on the idea that a range of tools were needed in order to be effective.

His ideas include the use of soft-baits, water staining dyes, splashing water on the birds, using techniques to distract birds, and some rod handling techniques to help baits sink quickly.

Sam Mossman says seabirds are great fish-finders for fishers.

"Birds tell us what fish are around, and where they are. We often find fish where the birds are feeding. You can learn from diving birds like gannets what depth the fish are at, because this is proportional to the height the birds are diving down from. "

We're interested in hearing from you. If you've tried these ideas or have others to add to the toolkit email us on info@southernseabirds.org or contact Cam Speedy, our recreational fishing liaison, on ngakowhai@xtra.co.nz.

Entries were judged by a panel with extensive experience of fishing and seabirds.

Fishing for Ideas is sponsored by The Lion Foundation and Te Ohu Kaimoana, with prizes donated by Geordie Murman - Ocean Ranger - and Berkley®.

We're interested in hearing from you. If you've tried these ideas or have others to add to the toolkit email us on info@southernseabirds.org or contact Cam Speedy, our recreational fishing liaision, on ngakowhai@xtra.co.nz.

Entries were judged by a panel with extensive experience of fishing and seabirds.

Fishing for Ideas is sponsored by The Lion Foundation and Te Ohu Kaimoana, with prizes donated by Geordie Murman - Ocean Ranger - and Berkley®.