Abstract
AbstractBycatch studies have been conducted in many fisheries in Georgia, but none has focused on the commercial pot fishery for blue crab Callinectes sapidus. The purpose of this study was to identify abundance and seasonality of finfish and invertebrate bycatch species in the commercial blue crab fishery in Georgia. Between November 2003 and December 2006, observers accompanied volunteer commercial blue crab fishers randomly selected from a list of willing participants. A total of 91 trips were observed, with 5,707 commercial blue crab pots sampled. Soak times, or fishing effort, ranged from 24 to 168 h, averaging 55.8 h/trap for each trip. The number of traps sampled each trip ranged from 5 to 163, with a mean of 62.7 traps per trip. We collected 306 finfish and 4,972 invertebrates in this study period. The most numerous finfish were Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma (n = 52), Atlantic Spadefish Chaetodipterus faber (n = 50), Oyster Toadfish Opsanus tau (n = 50), Hardhead Catfish Ariopsis felis (n = 46), and Southern Kingfish Menticirrhus americanus (n = 37). The most numerous invertebrates species were hermit crabs Pagurus spp. (n = 2,341), spider crabs Libinia spp. (n = 532), stone crabs Menippe mercenaria (n = 438), channeled whelk Busycon canaliculatum (n = 1,570), and knobbed whelk Busycon carica (n = 25). The similarity of bycatch by season was compared using a Morisita similarity index, and results were that Southern Flounder, Atlantic Spadefish, Oyster Toadfish, spider crabs, channeled whelk, and stone crabs varied seasonally. Of all species observed, we conclude that channeled whelk populations may be impacted by this fishery.Received October 22, 2012; accepted June 17, 2013
Highlights
Bycatch studies have been conducted in many fisheries in Georgia, but none has focused on the commercial pot fishery for blue crab Callinectes sapidus
While the number of commercial crabbers in Georgia has declined in recent years, the blue crab fishery remains extremely
The effects and composition of bycatch from large shrimp trawls have been studied in detail (Wallace and Robinson 1994; Ortiz et al 2000; Baum et al 2003; Diamond 2003); alternatively, the bycatch of the commercial blue crab pot fishery in Georgia has not
Summary
Bycatch studies have been conducted in many fisheries in Georgia, but none has focused on the commercial pot fishery for blue crab Callinectes sapidus. The effects and composition of bycatch from large shrimp trawls have been studied in detail (Wallace and Robinson 1994; Ortiz et al 2000; Baum et al 2003; Diamond 2003); alternatively, the bycatch of the commercial blue crab pot fishery in Georgia has not. While these two fisheries utilize different gears, the marine waters in which they often fish share many of the same species. Work has been conducted in multiple states, including Georgia, on the bycatch of diamondback terrapins Malaclemys terrapin in commercial blue crab traps, primarily through investigating gear modifications to reduce their capture (Bishop 1983; Seigel and Gibbons 1995; Guillory and Prejean 1998; Belcher and Sheirling 2004)
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