Abstract
We studied the relative catch performance of a modified trawl fitted with an extension piece using a 90º turned mesh (T90) in comparison with a standard trawl net used in NW Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries employing a diamond mesh net. The comparison was made by means of paired experimental hauls using the same fishing vessel with alternate deployments of the standard net (control) and the experimental net. We used the catch comparison approach for three target species of the fishery: European hake, red mullet and striped red mullet. Our results show that the experimental net significantly reduces the catches of small-size hake and red mullet (though there was no discernible difference for striped red mullet), reducing unwanted catches of regulated species under the Landings Obligation. The overall catch rates of hake, pooled over all sizes, also increased by an estimated 50%, while the catch rates of red mullet and striped red mullet were significantly lower. However, considering all commercial species, the experimental net produced losses of commercial catch and income estimated at 17% and 18%, respectively, which may pose a barrier to the adoption of this relatively simple, inexpensive solution.
Highlights
The EU discards ban embedded in Art. 15 of EC 1380/2013 EC 2013, or the Landing Obligation, is aimed at reducing discards in EU fisheries and working towards more selective fishing by incentivizing fishers to apply appropriate technical solutions, among other changes in fishing practices
Summary: We studied the relative catch performance of a modified trawl fitted with an extension piece using a 90o turned mesh (T90) in comparison with a standard trawl net used in NW Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries employing a diamond mesh net
Our results show that the experimental net significantly reduces the catches of small-size hake and red mullet, reducing unwanted catches of regulated species under the Landings Obligation
Summary
The EU discards ban embedded in Art. 15 of EC 1380/2013 EC 2013, or the Landing Obligation, is aimed at reducing discards in EU fisheries and working towards more selective fishing by incentivizing fishers to apply appropriate technical solutions, among other changes in fishing practices. In Mediterranean fisheries, the quantity of discards is perceived to be high, but with important variation across fleet segments or fishing gear (Uhlmann et al 2014). Tsagarakis et al (2014) estimate discard rates of 20% to 65% of the total catch in Spanish Mediterranean bottom-trawl fisheries, while discards of undersize individuals of regulated species such as Trachurus spp. or Sparidae vary from 18% to 77% of the catch of each species (Bellido et al 2017). The quantity of discards is generally known with low precision due to the high variability in the quantity of discards, even within a single fishery, because of the varied reasons for discarding (Martinet et al 2007, Uhlmann et al 2014)
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