Artificial Light Color and Fish Catch Performance in Marine Fisheries: A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67710/jomafish.v1i1.25Keywords:
fishing light, LED, phototaxis, catch efficiency, fish behaviorAbstract
Artificial light is widely used in nocturnal fisheries to aggregate fish, improve encounter probability, and influence capture selectivity. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) allow precise control of spectral output, yet published evidence does not identify one universally optimal color. This review synthesizes recent studies on the effects of artificial light color on fish attraction, aggregation, catch performance, species composition, and selectivity in marine fisheries. A structured narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed literature published mainly during 2016–2025, emphasizing field experiments and physiological studies relevant to light-assisted capture. Blue, cyan, and green wavelengths frequently produced strong behavioral or catch responses because they propagate efficiently in seawater and overlap with the visual sensitivity of many marine organisms. However, outcomes were strongly dependent on species, fishing gear, irradiance, depth, water optical properties, and operational context. Indonesian studies on anchovy and lift-net fisheries reported advantages of blue, white, green, or mixed-color LEDs under different experimental conditions, while recent fixed lift-net trials found strong aggregation and catch under green LEDs. International studies similarly reported contrasting responses in trammel nets, pots, squid-related fisheries, and illuminated nets. Light may also increase catch indirectly by attracting prey organisms or improve selectivity by altering bycatch interactions. Therefore, lamp color should be optimized together with irradiance, deployment geometry, exposure duration, lunar phase, and target-species behavior. Future studies should prioritize replicated field trials, spectral measurements, acoustic or video verification, standardized CPUE, and reporting of energy use and bycatch.
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