Experiments in gear configuration to reduce bycatch in an estuarine squid-trawl fishery

Five codend designs and four behavioral-type bycatch reduction devices were tested to reduce fish bycatch in the broad squid (Photololigo etheridgei) and bottle squid (Loliolus noctiluca) trawl fishery in New South Wales, Australia. Reducing posterior circumference, increasing mesh size, and changing to diamond-shaped mesh did not improve trawl selectivity. A square-mesh codend did improve selectivity by reducing fish bycatch by 71% without reducing squid catch.
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	Variable results, see summary	Squid	Did not affect target catch	In the wild