Incidental capture of elasmobranchs in the bottom-set gill-net fishery off the south coast of Ireland

Abstract

The incidental capture of sharks in the bottom-set gill-net fishery off the south coast of Ireland was quantified by placing observers on commercial gill-netters for the duration of a fishing trip. Forty fishing trips were sampled resulting in 1,167 km and 19,760 km h of observed fishing effort. Sixty individual sharks of seven species were reported entangled in the fishing gear. Tope, porbeagle and six-gilled sharks were the most frequently caught species, with black-mouthed dogfish, blue shark, basking shark and starry smooth hound also recorded. Total fishing effort along the south coast was calculated and total capture extrapolated from observed catch rates. An estimated 6,000 sharks were caught in this fishery during the study period.