115mm and 155mm square mesh panels in the body of a trawl

to improve size selection and reduce undersized haddock in ICES Area VII

Target species:
Cod, haddock and other demersal species

Area, Vessel
12 hauls with a twin-rig; onboard MFV Our Olivia Belle in the Celtic Sea during August 2014.
Gear type:
demersal (twin rig)

Gear modification
The standard gear was a 115mm mesh size trawl with a 87mm codend and a 115mm SMP @ 6-9m from codline. The modified gear had two additional SMPs (i) a 155mm SMP @ 2.5-5.5m from codline and (ii) a 155mm SMP @ 9.5-12.5m from codline.


Results:
There were substantial reductions of haddock and cod catches across all size ranges in the modified gear.
Further information:
Cefas.co.uk / Contact: Stephen.mangi@cefas.co.uk; Thomas.catchpole@cefas.co.uk




Citation :
Mangi, S. and Catchpole, T. , 2017. 115mm and 155mm square mesh panels in the body of a trawl . In O’Neill, F.G. and Mutch, K. (Eds): Selectivity in Trawl Fishing Gears. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 8 No 1.