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Enhanced data collection in the Canadian Arctic for seabird bycatch information yields highly variable results

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
northern Canada
Target catch
Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)
Effect on bycatch species
mitigation not assessed
Effect on target catch
mitigation not assessed
Bycatch species
Seabirds
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Enhanced data collection in the Canadian Arctic for seabird bycatch information yields highly variable results

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
northern Canada
Target catch
Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)
Effect on bycatch species
mitigation not assessed
Effect on target catch
mitigation not assessed
Bycatch species
Seabirds
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Altering gillnet soak duration and timing minimizes bycatch and maintains target catch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Target catch
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)
Effect on bycatch species
no bycatch in short (12 hour) sets
Effect on target catch
significantly lower during short day sets, but no difference between 24+ hour sets and short night set
Reduction technique
Decreased soak time
Short sets
Fishing Gear
Gillnets

Altering gillnet soak duration and timing minimizes bycatch and maintains target catch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Target catch
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)
Effect on bycatch species
no bycatch in short (12 hour) sets
Effect on target catch
significantly lower during short day sets, but no difference between 24+ hour sets and short night set
Reduction technique
Decreased soak time
Short sets
Fishing Gear
Gillnets

Altering gillnet soak duration and timing minimizes bycatch and maintains target catch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Target catch
Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)
Effect on bycatch species
no bycatch in short (12 hour) sets
Effect on target catch
significantly lower during short day sets, but no difference between 24+ hour sets and short night set
Reduction technique
Decreased soak time
Short sets
Fishing Gear
Gillnets

Effectiveness of northern shrimp trawls designed to reduce megafauna bycatch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada
Target catch
Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)
Effect on bycatch species
Unknown. No Greenland sharks were observed during the study.
Effect on target catch
No difference in catch rates vs. traditional gear, but a slight reduction in catch of larger shrimp. However, when escape openings were located before the Nordmore grid, rather than at the grid, catch decreased by 18%.
Bycatch species
Elasmobranchs
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Effectiveness of northern shrimp trawls designed to reduce megafauna bycatch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada
Target catch
Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)
Effect on bycatch species
Unknown. No Greenland sharks were observed during the study.
Effect on target catch
No difference in catch rates vs. traditional gear, but a slight reduction in catch of larger shrimp. However, when escape openings were located before the Nordmore grid, rather than at the grid, catch decreased by 18%.
Bycatch species
Elasmobranchs
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Effectiveness of northern shrimp trawls designed to reduce megafauna bycatch

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada
Target catch
Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis)
Effect on bycatch species
Unknown. No Greenland sharks were observed during the study.
Effect on target catch
No difference in catch rates vs. traditional gear, but a slight reduction in catch of larger shrimp. However, when escape openings were located before the Nordmore grid, rather than at the grid, catch decreased by 18%.
Bycatch species
Elasmobranchs
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Evidence for a fisher-designed solution to manta and devil ray bycatch in tuna fisheries

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Pacific Ocean
Target catch
skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)
Effect on bycatch species
Of the 21 individuals released during the study, use of sorting grid allowed fishers to release larger mobuilids without increasing handling time.
Effect on target catch
None. Sorting grids in study were implemented post-capture at the hopper.
Bycatch species
Skates/Rays
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Surrounding nets

Evidence for a fisher-designed solution to manta and devil ray bycatch in tuna fisheries

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Pacific Ocean
Target catch
skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)
Effect on bycatch species
Of the 21 individuals released during the study, use of sorting grid allowed fishers to release larger mobuilids without increasing handling time.
Effect on target catch
None. Sorting grids in study were implemented post-capture at the hopper.
Bycatch species
Skates/Rays
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Surrounding nets

Evidence for a fisher-designed solution to manta and devil ray bycatch in tuna fisheries

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Pacific Ocean
Target catch
skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)
Effect on bycatch species
Of the 21 individuals released during the study, use of sorting grid allowed fishers to release larger mobuilids without increasing handling time.
Effect on target catch
None. Sorting grids in study were implemented post-capture at the hopper.
Bycatch species
Skates/Rays
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Surrounding nets

Disentangling pinniped incidental mortality in a bottom-trawl fishery with seal exclusion devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Falkland Islands
Target catch
Patagonian squid (Doryteuthis gahi)
Effect on bycatch species
0.91% of seals over 12 fishing seasons were caught in trawls with SEDs, with a survival rate of 89.5%. SED mortalities were attributed to drowning from blockages in the SED or entanglement in the trawl. Faster hauling speeds may also increase bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Not studied.
Bycatch species
Pinnipeds
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Disentangling pinniped incidental mortality in a bottom-trawl fishery with seal exclusion devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Falkland Islands
Target catch
Patagonian squid (Doryteuthis gahi)
Effect on bycatch species
0.91% of seals over 12 fishing seasons were caught in trawls with SEDs, with a survival rate of 89.5%. SED mortalities were attributed to drowning from blockages in the SED or entanglement in the trawl. Faster hauling speeds may also increase bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Not studied.
Bycatch species
Pinnipeds
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Disentangling pinniped incidental mortality in a bottom-trawl fishery with seal exclusion devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Falkland Islands
Target catch
Patagonian squid (Doryteuthis gahi)
Effect on bycatch species
0.91% of seals over 12 fishing seasons were caught in trawls with SEDs, with a survival rate of 89.5%. SED mortalities were attributed to drowning from blockages in the SED or entanglement in the trawl. Faster hauling speeds may also increase bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Not studied.
Bycatch species
Pinnipeds
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

Ferrite magnets do not deter blue sharks (Prionace glauca) from bait strikes in behavioral trials

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
English Channel
Target catch
None. Trials were conducted with a tourism operator.
Effect on bycatch species
Bait strike choices were not affected by prior interactions or other variables, such as number of sharks in the water.
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Electromagnetic deterrents
Fishing Gear
Hooks-and-Lines

Ferrite magnets do not deter blue sharks (Prionace glauca) from bait strikes in behavioral trials

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
English Channel
Target catch
None. Trials were conducted with a tourism operator.
Effect on bycatch species
Bait strike choices were not affected by prior interactions or other variables, such as number of sharks in the water.
Effect on target catch
N/A
Reduction technique
Electromagnetic deterrents
Fishing Gear
Hooks-and-Lines

2022 and 2023 Independent Proof of Concept Testing for the Deepwater Horizon Restoration Project: Reducing Juvenile Sea Turtle Bycatch through Development of Reduced Bar Spacing Turtle Excluder Devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi, Louisiana)
Target catch
brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus)
Effect on bycatch species
Bent bar, bottoming opening TED and straight bar, top opening TED reduced invertebrate bycatch by 56.2% and 28.4% respectively. No impact on sea turtle bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Bent bar, top opening TED reduced shrimp catch by 3.3%, although a low number of shrimp were encountered during the study
Bycatch species
Sea Turtles
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

2022 and 2023 Independent Proof of Concept Testing for the Deepwater Horizon Restoration Project: Reducing Juvenile Sea Turtle Bycatch through Development of Reduced Bar Spacing Turtle Excluder Devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi, Louisiana)
Target catch
brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus)
Effect on bycatch species
Bent bar, bottoming opening TED and straight bar, top opening TED reduced invertebrate bycatch by 56.2% and 28.4% respectively. No impact on sea turtle bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Bent bar, top opening TED reduced shrimp catch by 3.3%, although a low number of shrimp were encountered during the study
Bycatch species
Sea Turtles
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls

2022 and 2023 Independent Proof of Concept Testing for the Deepwater Horizon Restoration Project: Reducing Juvenile Sea Turtle Bycatch through Development of Reduced Bar Spacing Turtle Excluder Devices

Study Type
Field study in the wild
Location
Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi, Louisiana)
Target catch
brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus)
Effect on bycatch species
Bent bar, bottoming opening TED and straight bar, top opening TED reduced invertebrate bycatch by 56.2% and 28.4% respectively. No impact on sea turtle bycatch.
Effect on target catch
Bent bar, top opening TED reduced shrimp catch by 3.3%, although a low number of shrimp were encountered during the study
Bycatch species
Sea Turtles
Reduction technique
Excluder devices
Fishing Gear
Trawls
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