Abstract
Sustainability of commercial fisheries is best achieved when fishing gears are selective and have low impacts on bottom habitat. Pots (baited traps) are a fishing technology that typically has lower impacts than many other industrial gears. In this study we compared the efficiency of five models of pots (baited traps) designed to catch Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) for use in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)’s expanding cod fishery. We compared catch per unit effort (CPUE) and total lengths of cod across each pot type, as well as bycatch rates of each model. All pot types were successful at catching cod, but two models (the modified Newfoundland pot, and a four-entrance pot of our design) had highest CPUE. Specifically, we found that modifying Newfoundland pots increased their CPUE by 145% without a corresponding increase in bycatch. None of the pot types produced substantial amounts of bycatch. This study demonstrated that potting gear is an effective way to catch cod in NL, and that there is flexibility in which pot fishers can use, depending on the layout of their fishing vessel.
Highlights
Pots, are cage-like, stationary fishing gears widely used in commercial fisheries throughout the world [1,2,3,4]
Pots have been classified as a ‘Low Impact and Fuel Efficient’ (LIFE) fishing gear, because they require less fuel to harvest than towed fishing gears such as trawls and dredges [5]
We found that NOR pots caught 32% more cod on average than Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) pots (Table 2, Fig 4A), The NL pots caught a total of 67 cod 45 cm total length (TL) (8.7% of catch), and NOR pots caught 278 cod 45 cm TL (15.6% of catch)
Summary
Pots ( commonly referred to as traps), are cage-like, stationary fishing gears widely used in commercial fisheries throughout the world [1,2,3,4]. In Canada, pots are currently used to capture many species, including spot prawns (Pandalus platyceros) [9,10] and sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) [11] in British Columbia, and snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) [12] These fisheries are widely regarded as highly sustainable, and they have been recognized by eco-certifications such as Oceanwise and Seachoice [13]. In this study we assessed the effectiveness of five different types of pots at catching Atlantic cod, using catch and length data collected during field trials of experimental pots aboard commercial fishing vessels, over the course of two consecutive fishing seasons during the summers of 2015 and 2016 We tested these gears in real-world field conditions—aboard industry vessels fishing during the annual stewardship fishery [21]. We obtained and reported summary statistics of opportunistically-acquired data comparing landed fish quality across pots, gillnets, and hook-and-line gears
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