Fishery bycatch rates largely driven by variation in individual vessel behaviour

Authors
Roberson, L.A. and Wilcox, C.
Year
Journal/Publisher Name
Nature Sustainability
Page #s
1-11
Contact information
Leslie A. Roberson, CSIRO Environment, Tasmania, Australia- l.roberson@uq.edu.au
Summary

The authors used observer data to investigate variations in threatened species bycatch among individual operators with varying performance levels from five industrial fisheries in Australia. High-target and low-bycatch vessels were found in all five fisheries amongst varying gear types, and individual vessels were significant predictors of interaction rates. The authors suggest that fleet-wide bycatch reduction controls would be complemented through the use of measures that focus on individual performance groups.