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 65mm square mesh codend

to reduce discards in a Nephrops trawl

Target species:
Nephrops

Area, Vessel
12 catch comparison hauls took place at the Smalls ground in the Celtic Sea (ICES VIIg) on board MFV Stella Nova (DA57) (23.5m, 441kW).

Gear type:
demersal (quad rig)

Gear modification
A 65 mm (nominal) square mesh codend was tested against a 75mm (nominal) diamond mesh codend using identical quad-rigged Nephrops trawls. Nominal fishing circle was 420 x 80 mm.

Results:
In the 65 mm square mesh codend there were large reductions in catches of whole, tailed and unmarketable Nephrops. There were also large reductions in haddock and whiting catches.

Further information:
Daragh Browne browned@bim.ie <A href=http://www.bim.ie/our-publications/fisheries/> http://www.bim.ie/our-publications/fisheries/ </A>

Citation :
Browne, D. , 2017. using a 65mm square mesh codend . In O’Neill, F.G. and Mutch, K. (Eds): Selectivity in Trawl Fishing Gears. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 8 No 1.