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Albatross have been fitted with technology to help in the fight against illegal fishing in a new trial.
Researchers tracked the birds as they flew over the Antarctic Ocean and were drawn towards fishing boats.
The study found that the albatross successfully “detected and localised fishing vessels over large oceanic sectors”.
“Our results demonstrate the potential of using animals as ocean sentinels,” the researchers said.
The birds were “perfect candidates” for the experiment because they “fly great distances and are particularly attracted by fishing boats”, according to the France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), who were involved in the study published in the US journal PNAS.
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A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" makes its way along the River Thames in London
PA
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Boats from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group join a flotilla along the Thames River
Getty Images
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Supporters of the EU Remain camp attach banners to Tower Bridge as they await a flotilla of fishing boats campaiging for Brexit to pass under the bridge
AFP/Getty Images
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A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" alongside HMS Belfast (left) as it makes its way along the River Thames
PA
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Bob Geldof (centre) on board a boat taking part in a pro-EU counter demonstration
PA
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A flotilla of fishing vessels campaigning to leave the European Union
REUTERS
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A boat from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group and smaller boats from the 'In' campaign join a flotilla along the Thames River
Getty Images
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A fishing boat campaiging for Brexit passes by the Tower of London
AFP/Getty Images
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A boat decked out in flags and banners from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group
Getty Images
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Fishing boats campaiging for Brexit pass under Tower Bridge
AFP/Getty Images
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A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" makes its way along the River Thames in London
PA
2/10
Boats from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group join a flotilla along the Thames River
Getty Images
3/10
Supporters of the EU Remain camp attach banners to Tower Bridge as they await a flotilla of fishing boats campaiging for Brexit to pass under the bridge
AFP/Getty Images
4/10
A Fishing for Leave pro-Brexit "flotilla" alongside HMS Belfast (left) as it makes its way along the River Thames
PA
5/10
Bob Geldof (centre) on board a boat taking part in a pro-EU counter demonstration
PA
6/10
A flotilla of fishing vessels campaigning to leave the European Union
REUTERS
7/10
A boat from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group and smaller boats from the 'In' campaign join a flotilla along the Thames River
Getty Images
8/10
A fishing boat campaiging for Brexit passes by the Tower of London
AFP/Getty Images
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A boat decked out in flags and banners from the 'Fishing for Leave' campaign group
Getty Images
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Fishing boats campaiging for Brexit pass under Tower Bridge
AFP/Getty Images
Henri Weimerskirch, the lead author, told AFP: “They are like drones, only intelligent.”
Nearly 170 albatross were fitted with devices for six months in the “Ocean Sentinel” project conducted by a team from France and New Zealand, the CNRS said.
Researchers said that illegal fishing threatens the ocean’s natural ecosystems, estimating that over one third of fishing boats in international waters were undeclared.
The study concluded that technology can open up the potential to use “seabirds to patrol oceans” for conservation purposes.
CNRS said the birds were fitted with a device containing a GPS system to track their location and a radar detector to intercept signals from vessels.
The research centre said that the technology “could be adapted for other marine species, like sharks and sea turtles”.
Conservationists have warned that illegal fishing puts endangered sea creatures at risk of extinction, including wedgefish and guitarfish, nicknamed the “rhinos of the ocean”.
In a move to combat illegal fishing last year, Indonesia sunk over 50 foreign ships they claimed were operating unlawfully.