Effect of the Nordmøre grid bar spacing on size selectivity, catch efficiency and bycatch of the Barents Sea Northern shrimp fishery

The introduction of the Nordmøre grid in shrimp trawls has reduced the bycatch of non-target species. In the Norwegian Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery, the mandatory selective gear consists of a Nordmøre grid with 19 mm bar spacing combined with a 35 mm mesh size diamond mesh codend. How...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2022-12, Vol.17 (12), p.e0277788-e0277788
Main Authors: Larsen, Roger B, Herrmann, Bent, Sistiaga, Manu, Brinkhof, Jesse, Cerbule, Kristine, Grimaldo, Eduardo, Lomeli, Mark J M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biology and Life Sciences
Bycatch
Cod
Commercial fishing
Crustacea
Diamonds
Earth Sciences
Fish
Fisheries
Fishing
Flounder
Gadus morhua
Management
Pandalidae
Production management
Research and Analysis Methods
Research ships
Seafood
Selectivity
Shrimps
Trawls
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Summary:The introduction of the Nordmøre grid in shrimp trawls has reduced the bycatch of non-target species. In the Norwegian Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery, the mandatory selective gear consists of a Nordmøre grid with 19 mm bar spacing combined with a 35 mm mesh size diamond mesh codend. However, fish bycatch in shrimp trawls remains a challenge and further modifications of the gear that can improve selectivity are still sought. Therefore, this study estimated and compared the size selectivity of Nordmøre grids with bar spacings of 17 and 21 mm. Further, the effect of applying these two grids on trawl size selectivity was predicted and compared to the legislated gear configuration. Experimental fishing trials were conducted in the Barents Sea where the bottom trawl fleet targets Northern shrimp. Results were obtained for the target species and two by-catch species: cod (Gadus morhua) and American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides). This study demonstrated that reducing bar spacing can significantly reduce fish bycatch while only marginally affecting catch efficiency of Northern shrimp. This is a potentially important finding from a management perspective that could be applicable to other shrimp fisheries where flexibility in the use of different grid bar spacings may be beneficial to maximize the reduction of unwanted bycatch while minimizing the loss of target species.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0277788