Benefits of square mesh codends in Queenslands scallop and prawn trawl fisheries

Preliminary results indicate square mesh codends on trawl gear, used with turtle excluder devices, decreased bycatch of small fish, small crabs, sea urchins, shellfish, and undersize scallops when compared to standard diamond-mesh net codends. Catch of targeted scallop and prawn were not reduced by the square mesh codends.
Field Studies:

Location	Fishing gear	Reduction technique	Bycatch species	Effect on bycatch species	Catch	Effect on target catch	Type
Australia	Trawls	Modified codend	Bony Fishes	Reduced bycatch	Shrimp and scallop	Did not affect target catch	In the wild
Australia	Trawls	Modified codend	Invertebrates	Reduced bycatch	Shrimp and scallop	Did not affect target catch	In the wild