Bycatch mitigation assessment for sharks caught in coastal anchored gillnets

The potential of modifying gillnets to reduce shark bycatch was investigated in the US Spanish mackerel and spot gillnet fisheries. The modified net had larger floats on the head-rope and inreased weight on the lead-line to increase the tension of the net. Results showed that the catch rate of some shark species was significantly reduced in the modified gillnets. Target catch rates of Spanish mackerel did not differ significantly between control and modified nets of the same mesh size.
Field Studies:

Location	Fishing gear	Reduction technique	Bycatch species	Effect on bycatch species	Catch	Effect on target catch	Type
North Carolina, USA	Gillnets	Tensioning gillnet	Sharks	Significantly reduced bycatch of some shark species	Spanish mackerel and spot	No difference in similar mesh size in Spanish mackerel fishery or the spot fishery. The trend was for higher catch rates in modified nets in the spot fishery.	In the wild