DiscardLess project - Discard Mitigation Strategies Toolbox

Introduction

Aims

DiscardLess selectivity manual and factsheet

All the Documents (Manual and Factsheets) are issued from Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science and can be downloaded here : Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science website

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 633680

using a Flip Flap netting grid

to reduce the capture of cod, haddock and whiting in a Nephrops trawl

Target species:
Nephrops and mixed whitefish and flatfish species

Area, Vessel
The trials took place in the North Sea (ICES Iva) Fladen Grounds and the Moray Firth on board the Sardonyx II (BF 206) (18m, 373kW)

Gear type:
twin trawl

Gear modification
The Flip Flap gear has a 200mm vertical square mesh flapper panel in the extension. The top half of this panel is attached to the extension and the bottom half is weighted along its perimeter, but free to ‘flap’. There is a hole cut out of the top sheet in front of the vertical panel to facilitate the escape of roundfish.

Results:
Nephrops catches of the two gears were very similar. There was a large reduction in the retention of cod, haddock and whiting, and a small reduction in the catches of monkfish and megrim.

Further information:
J Drewery, et al., 2012. Catch comparison trials of the Flip Flap netting grid trawl. Marine Scotland Science Report 08/12

Citation :
Drewery, J. , 2017. using a Flip Flap netting grid . In O’Neill, F.G. and Mutch, K. (Eds): Selectivity in Trawl Fishing Gears. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 8 No 1.