[The Googly-Eyed Solution: How Science Keeps Seabirds Away]-[Googly Eyed Guy!]

Wow in the World · B1 · 2021-11-29

📋 Summary

The Googly-Eyed Solution: How Science Keeps Seabirds Away

In a recent episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz explore an unconventional yet scientifically backed method for solving the persistent problem of seabirds interfering with human activities, specifically in the fishing industry. The episode uses the backdrop of Guy Raz’s struggling vegetable garden to illustrate how simple visual deterrents can have a profound impact on animal behavior.

The Problem: Pesky Birds and Endangered Nets

Guy Raz finds himself in a predicament: his vegetable garden is being decimated by birds. He attempts to solve this by creating a "life-sized replica" of himself—a scarecrow—but finds it ineffective, describing the garden as a "disaster zone" that looks like a "half-eaten salad."

This mirrors a much larger, global issue faced by the fishing industry. Mindy explains that "fisheries are kind of like the farms of the ocean," where seabirds frequently pillage the catch. More importantly, these birds often become accidentally ensnared in fishing nets, which is harmful to both the birds and the efficiency of the operations. As Mindy notes, "it's not only bad because these birds are eating all the fisherfolk's fish, but it's also bad for the birds themselves."

The Scientific Innovation: Googly Eyes as Predators

To address this, researchers from the conservation group Bird Life International turned to a surprisingly simple tool: large googly eyes. The hypothesis is that these eyes mimic the appearance of terrifying predators, which naturally discourages birds from approaching areas where they are not wanted.

To test this, researchers attached these "massive googly eyes" to buoys in a bay off the coast of Estonia. The results were impressive. After observing the area for about 10 days, they found that the googly-eyed buoys "reduced the number of birds in the area by 20 to 30 percent." The effectiveness was further confirmed when the eyes were removed; the birds "flocked right back," proving that the eyes were indeed the primary deterrent.

Scaling the Solution

Following the success of the trial in Estonia, the researchers are now looking to expand their efforts. They plan to take this experiment international, with an upcoming deployment in Iceland, a country deeply invested in the fishing industry. By tinkering with the design of these buoys at a large lumpfish fishery, researchers hope to see if this method can scale effectively to protect marine life and fishing yields on a broader level.

Conclusion: A Lesson in Observation

While the googly eyes eventually proved successful in scaring away the birds from Guy Raz’s garden, the episode concludes with a humorous twist: the true "pests" in his garden were not the birds, but his neighbors, including Dennis and Tommy, who had been snacking on his produce all along.

Ultimately, the story serves as a playful yet educational reminder of how scientific inquiry—and sometimes a bit of creativity—can lead to practical solutions for complex environmental conflicts. As Mindy puts it, it is "pretty incredible" that keeping fish and birds safe could be achieved with something as simple as a pair of googly eyes.

🎯Key Sentences

I gotta let you know that

we are throwing another listening party.

That's it.

let's get on with the show.

you would be my hero.

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📝Key Phrases

music to your ears

get on with the show

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neck deep in

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📖 Transcript

Grownups, Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Wow in the World early and ad-free right now.

Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.

Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.

And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,

And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.

Oh, but that's not all, Reg.

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