A REPORT on trials to reduce cod by-catches in Shetland mixed demersal whitefish trawl fisheries by putting large meshes (300 and 600mm) in the front portion of a commercial trawl has been published by Marine Scotland.
During 2009 experimental trials were conducted to assess the extent to which cod by-catches in the Shetland mixed whitefish fishery would be reduced by replacing the 120mm netting in the front sections of a trawl with 300 and 600mm netting. A further aim was to assess the effect of these modified trawls on the catches of monkfish and megrim, which are economically important to the Shetland fleet.
The results showed that both test gears caught significantly fewer cod, hake, megrim and ling than the control trawl across all length classes and significantly fewer monkfish below 76 and 83cm respectively than the control trawl. The 300mm trawl caught significantly more haddock than the other trawls and catches of saithe greater than 53cm were reduced in both test gears.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
