Paul Botterill and Chantal Lyons – 27th March 2026

If you think of Peru (which I’m sure you do frequently), I’m certain that you’re either imagining Machu Picchu or a bear in a raincoat eating marmalade sandwiches. Both are valid, and both definitely exist in Peru, but I want to add a third feature to your South American musings: the opportunity for innovative fishing gear to dramatically reduce dolphin bycatch. I’ll admit it’s not quite as punchy, and probably won’t make it onto a UNESCO list or the Oscars, but I do think it’s every bit as exciting! I’m going to try and convince you with the help of just 5 photos from our recent trip.

But before we cross the Atlantic, a little context is needed. Mindfully Wired is a proud partner in Clean Catch, a Defra-funded programme working to reduce bycatch through the power of partnerships, a good chunk of science, and some innovative thinking. Our friends at Arribada (also part of the Clean Catch consortium team) have developed a Passive Acoustic Reflector (PAR) which we’re hoping will turn near-invisible fishing nets into rock-solid barriers when viewed through the eyes (ears) of a dolphin’s echolocation. The PAR now needs to be tested to see if it works, and that’s where Peru enters the picture. The fishing fleets on the Pacific coast catch dolphins more regularly than those in the UK do, and this means that we’ll get results much faster. Results which could then help fishing fleets in the UK, Peru, and anywhere else where dolphin bycatch is an issue!

So, that’s why we travelled to Peru as part of a team to make new connections in this sustainability story. You may love dolphins and sustainable ceviche, but PARs probably aren’t as Peruvian as Paddington in your mind yet so onto the photos:

An appetite for change

During our week West of the Andes we met with fishing communities in three ports across two regions (along with community groups, NGOs, and academics) to talk about their experiences, the problems they encounter, and whether they would be willing to help trial PARs. The overwhelming response was excitement to try something new and see what happened! Fishermen are used to innovating and making quick fixes on the fly, their profession and sometimes their lives depend on it. Still, I was surprised at how open to experimentation they were, how few barriers there were to overcome, and how easily I could have left the sales pitch at home!

An opportunity for impact

Near the end of the trip we toured the port of Pucusana, south of Lima, which is also home to the Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC). After watching boats queue up in the water at the fish market, ready to unload their catch after many days at sea, we disembarked and walked up the steep stairs into town to an unremarkable building with remarkable views across the harbour. The view inside was no less astonishing, as this contained around a third of CEPEC’s artefact collection, mostly consisting of hundreds of dolphin skulls. These remains were all collected from the fish market we had just left, bycatch from just one port in one year which shows the enormous scale of the problem along the coast.

Universalism & the inevitability of pinnipeds

At this point you may be thinking, “so what? How are Peruvian fishermen anything to do with me?” That’s very fair, but something that comes up again and again is how much we have in common. The issues that fishing communities in Peru are facing are surprisingly similar to those in the UK. The boats, the lifestyle, the draw to the sea are a part of the fabric of Pucusana just as they’re a part of Peterhead. Despite the differences, the heart of this story is humans dealing with human problems and that is fantastic news for Mindfully Wired because it means we can lift solutions from wherever they appear and take them to wherever else the problem exists. If the PARs work for the fishers of Peru it’ll work for the fishermen of Padstow. OK, so how does this photo relate to universalism? Well draw your eyes back from the boats a little, because contraception for sea lions and seals is the number one request from every fisher we’ve ever asked!

The inspiration of youth

The final part of our trip was meeting some of the team from Pro Delphinus, who encapsulated everything that came before: the spirit to give things a go, the knowledge that our similarities outweigh our differences, and a sense that there’s an opportunity here to make a difference. We demonstrated the PARs, spoke a little about what we hoped to achieve, and shared stories about our work whilst enjoying some delicious local snacks. They were still very early in their careers and their passion for their cause, the dedication to improve things, and their drive to do the work was incredibly impressive. It’s become a cliche to say that the next generation will save us, and they’ll definitely need help from the rest of us, but it is still inspiring to see what these young people from across the continent have accomplished with not much more than a love for the ocean.

So the passionate, driven, youth of Peru (and the world) can have another photo dedicated to them. This time from the streets of Barranco, famous for its street art, reminding us to think with the heart.