The catch efficiency of two types of groundgear—a conventional rockhopper and a new type of groundgear called the semicircular spreading gear (SCSG)—was investigated through experimental fishing for Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus conducted in the Barents Sea. A retainer bag was attached behind the footrope of the trawl, and the number of fish that were overrun by the trawl was compared with the ...

Gillnets made of a new biodegradable resin (polybutylene succinate co-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBSAT) were tested under commercial fishing conditions to compare their fishing performance with that of conventional nylon (PA) nets. The relative catch efficiency between the two gillnet 15 types was evaluated over the entire winter fishing season for cod (<i>Gadus morhua</i>) in northern Norway. The ...

We investigated the effect of bait type and bait size on the catch ef fi ciency of a demersal longline fi shery targeting European Hake Merluccius merluccius in the North Sea. Automation of the labor-intensive processes onboard fi shing vessels requires fi nding alternatives to the traditional bait used in the fi shery (i.e., whole European Pilchard Sardina pilchardus ). Of the six ...

The Nordmøre grid is regarded as an efficient bycatch reducing device and is used in various shrimp trawl fisheries globally. However, in some shrimp fisheries bycatch remains a problem that seriously impacts commercial trawl activities. This study tested and compared the performance of two versions of the Nordmøre grid in the Northeast Arctic Deepwater Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery; a standard ...

This reportdescribes full scale tests at sea with the semi-circular spreading gear (SCSG). This activity is part of Work Package 3 (WP3: Development of new ground gear) of the MultiSEPT project. The spreading of the SCSG and rockhopper gear was measured by useof MARPORT distance sensors. Bottom contact was monitored by use of SCANMARtrawl sensors and by underwater cameras mounted in the headline ...

The introduction of the Nordmøre grid to shrimp trawls has reduced the issue of bycatch to that of small-sized species and juveniles that are able to pass through the grid and enter the small-meshed cod end together with the targeted shrimp. This study estimated the size- and species-selective performance of the Nordmøre grid in the configuration most often applied by fishermen and made a preliminary ...

Greenland halibut (<i>Reinhardtius hippoglossoides</i>) is a commercially important species in the northeast Atlantic trawl fishery. However, direct fishing for it is not allowed and it can only be harvested as bycatch. We investigated for the first time the size selection of Greenland halibut in a newly developed double steel grid system designed for the cod and haddock bottom trawl fishery. In ...

The present study evaluates whether lifting the trawl doors and sweeps from the seabed can reduce bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries. We carried out a catch comparison and catch ratio analysis between two gear setups, one with the trawl doors and sweeps at the seabed (the traditional way) and the other with the doors and sweeps lifted. The study was carried out on American plaice. The results ...