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Bycatch reduction in the deep-water shrimp (Pandalus borealis) trawl fishery with a large mesh top panel

Abstract

In the Northeast Atlantic deep-water shrimp (Pandalus borealis) trawl fishery, the bycatch of juvenile fish and shrimp represents a problem. This study evaluated if inserting a 200 mm mesh size top-panel in the last three sections of the tapered upper belly section of the trawl could reduce bycatch of juveniles while maintaining the catch efficiency for deep-water shrimp. The bycatch species investigated were Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), redfish (Sebastes spp.) and polar cod (Boreogadus saida). The bycatch of Greenland halibut and the smallest polar cod was significantly reduced, while no effect was found for redfish. The large mesh panel did not lead to a significant loss of deep-water shrimp. The results of this study illustrate how a simple modification of a fishing gear can mitigate the bycatch problem in a shrimp fishery, without significant losses of the target species.
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Category

Academic article

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Kristine Cerbule
  • Nadine Jacques
  • Hermann Pettersen
  • Ólafur Arnar Ingólfsson
  • Bent Herrmann
  • Eduardo Grimaldo
  • Roger B. Larsen
  • Jesse Brinkhof
  • Manu Sistiaga
  • Dagfinn Lilleng
  • Jure Brčić

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Ocean / Fisheries and New Biomarine Industry
  • Technical University of Denmark
  • University of Split
  • UiT The Arctic University of Norway
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology
  • Directorate of Fisheries
  • Institute of Marine Research

Year

2021

Published in

Journal for Nature Conservation

ISSN

1617-1381

Volume

61

Page(s)

1 - 8

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository