Search The Database
Location | Gear | Catch | Technique | Bycatch species | Type | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
off Hawaii |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Swordfish |
Circle hooks
|
Sea Turtles | Field study in the wild | Highly significant reduction in the proportion of turtles that swallowed hooks |
California |
Gillnets
|
swordfish and sharks |
Acoustic deterrent devices
|
Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) | Field study in the wild | Acoustic pingers reduced bycatch of beaked whales to zero in the California drift gill net fishery. |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Deep sets
|
Seabirds | Field study in the wild | |||
United Kingdom |
Dredge
|
Scallops |
Excluder devices
|
Invertebrates | Field study in the wild | Reduced likelihood of mortality |
Hawaii |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Tuna and swordfish |
Deep sets
|
Sharks, Skates/Rays | Field study in the wild | No differences in catches between experimental and control sets |
Australia |
Trawls
|
winter blue grenadier |
Excluder devices
|
Pinnipeds | Field study in the wild | Several designs of seal exclusion devices (SEDs) were tested to reduce bycatch of seals in the winter blue grenadier trawl fishery. A 'top-hatch' SED, or one with a top-mounted escape hatch, resulted in the lowest occurrence of seal bycatch than any other SED design or than nets without a SED. The SED prevented entry into the net codend where drownings occurred. They also successfully expelled seals and limited access into the net via the escape hatch. Cameras are needed to verify the results. Expelled caught seals and limited access to codend |
Gulf of Maine |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Electromagnetic deterrents
|
Elasmobranchs | Field study in the wild | Did not significantly reduce dogfish catch |
|
Alaska |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Pacific halibut |
Electromagnetic deterrents
|
Sharks | Field study in the wild | Slightly reduced bycatch of spiny dogfish |
Laboratory study |
Hooks-and-Lines
|
Pacific halibut |
Electromagnetic deterrents
|
Elasmobranchs | Field study in the wild | Mischmetal reduced the likelihood of an attack or consumption of bait by spiny dogfish. |
USA Mid-Atlantic |
Dredge
|
sea scallops |
Excluder devices
|
Sea Turtles | Field study in the wild | In 2003 and 2004 the scallop industry, Coonamessett Farm, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Fisheries, with funding from the NOAA Fisheries Service, successfully tested a series of chains that excluded turtles from entering the dredge bag. In twelve trials, divers videoed the results of placing turtle carcasses in the path of a modified scallop dredge. Turtle carcasses went over the dredge in all but three trials. Damage was assessed as “slight or none” in all valid assessments of damage to a carcass following an encounter. |