Assessment of seal-fishery interactions in the winter blue grenadier fishery off west Tasmania and the development of fishing practices and Seal Exclusion Devices to mitigate seal bycatch by factory trawlers

Several designs of seal exclusion devices (SEDs) were tested to reduce bycatch of seals in the winter blue grenadier trawl fishery. A 'top-hatch' SED, or one with a top-mounted escape hatch, resulted in the lowest occurrence of seal bycatch than any other SED design or than nets without a SED. The SED prevented entry into the net codend where drownings occurred. They also successfully expelled seals and limited access into the net via the escape hatch. Cameras are needed to verify the results.
Field Studies:

Location	Fishing gear	Reduction technique	Bycatch species	Effect on bycatch species	Catch	Effect on target catch	Type
Australia	Trawls	Excluder devices	Pinnipeds	Expelled caught seals and limited access to codend	winter blue grenadier	Not available	In the wild