Increasing codend mesh size in a whitefish codend

to reduce the capture of undersized haddock and whiting

Target species:
Haddock and whiting.

Area, Vessel
32 pairs of alternate hauls took place East of Shetland (ICES area IVa) on board the Sharyn Louise LK250 (19m, 298kW).
Gear type:
single trawl

Gear modification
A 100mm diamond mesh codend fitted with a 90mm SMP is compared with (i) a 110mm diamond mesh codend with a 90mm SMP and (ii) a 120mm diamond mesh codend.


Results:
The 110mm cod-end with a 90mm smp and the 120mm cod-end reduced catches of undersized haddock. The 120mm cod-end reduced catches of grade IV haddock. The 110 cod-end with a 90mm smp and 120mm cod-end also reduced catches of grade IV and grade III whiting. The 120mm cod-end had a greater effect than the 110mm cod-end with a 90mm smp.
Further information:
Report on Scottish trials assessing the selectivity of trawls and seines. Industry/Science Partnership 2001 – 2002 Vol 1.




Citation :
ANON. , 2017. Increasing codend mesh size in a whitefish codend . In O’Neill, F.G. and Mutch, K. (Eds): Selectivity in Trawl Fishing Gears. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 8 No 1.