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 ...

In the North-East Atlantic demersal trawl fishery targeting cod and haddock, the interest on fishing gear designs that preserve fish quality and welfare has grown. However, the gear configurations tested so far imply practical challenges, therefore, more user-friendly designs are still sought by the industry. For a new design to be considered, it needs to have size selective properties that are at ...

Sorting grids are introduced in trawl fisheries to improve size selectivity and reduce the variability of results obtained with sorting devices constructed of netting e.g., codends. Grids are rigid or semi-rigid structures where the bar spacing defines the sizes of fish that can pass through. However, for size selection to occur, fish need to be oriented towards the grid in specific ways, which ...

Diamond meshes in trawl codends have limited openness, which reduces escape opportunities for roundfish. Shortening the lastridge ropes (LR) attached to codend selvedges can increase the availability of open meshes resulting in higher chances of escape. However, this availability does not imply optimal mesh openness, nor does it guarantee use. We estimate the escape probability of hake, horse mackerel ...

In Skagerrak and the North Sea, coastal vessels harvest deep-water shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in a mixed fishery, in which catches of Nephrops (Nephrops norvegicus) are of economic importance for the fleet. Fishermen targeting shrimp in this area must use a sorting grid with a maximum bar spacing of 19 mm, which means that only the smallest Nephrops can pass through the grid to be retained in the ...

Two decades of use of the compulsory selectivity gear configuration in the Northeast Atlantic bottom trawl fishery, which consists of a rigid sorting grid followed by a diamond mesh codend, have revealed problems with performance and efficiency. Size selectivity gear alternatives to this configuration are being pursued, and recent studies of codends with shortened lastridges have reported promising ...

In many trawl fisheries, codend size selectivity is supplemented by adding selection devices to the gear. In the Barents Sea gadoid fishery, combining diamond mesh codends with sorting grids is compulsory. However, the use of grids increases the costs and complexity of the gear, causing discontent among fishermen and prompting researchers to seek alternative solutions. Lastridge ropes are ropes ...

Square mesh panels (SMPs) are selective devices used extensively to supplement codend size selectivity in trawl fisheries. Therefore, predictions of the effect of mesh size in both SMPs and codends on size selectivity are valuable. Here, we established a framework to predict the size selection of blue whiting through different SMPs and diamond mesh codends based on the morphological characteristics ...

This study investigated the size selectivity and catch efficiency in the North-east Atlantic demersal trawl fishery targeting cod (<i>Gadus morhua</i>) and haddock (<i>Melanogrammus aeglefinus</i>). The use of a sorting grid followed by a size selective codend is compulsory in this fishery. Experimental fishing was conducted with a commercially rigged trawl, flexigrid section, and diamond-mesh codend. ...

Achieving effective size selectivity for different species within a fishing gear is a major challenge in mixed fisheries. Fish behaviour may be exploited to separate species into separate codends where different selective properties can then be applied. Within the Basque bottom trawl fishery such a set-up has never been tested despite species with different behaviours being present. In this study, ...