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Location | Gear | Catch | Technique | Bycatch species | Type | Results |
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Portugal |
Gillnets
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fish spp. | Seabirds | Field study in the wild | This study utilized onboard observations and fishermen interviews to investigate seabird seasonal abundance and interactions with artisanal bottom-set net fisheries off the southern-eastern coast of mainland Portugal between 2020 and 2022. 25 species of seabirds were recorded as bycatch, with lesser black-backed and Yellow-legged gulls
variation by season and gear type affected seabird species differently |
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Summary study | 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.
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Summary study | The authors performed multuple analyses to assess northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) bycatch and impacts from the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fishery in Arctic Canada. Results show that low to average levels of probable bycatch across fulmar populations will likely severely impede recovery or cause long-term declines of the northern fulmar populations in Arctic Canada, and that cumulative impacts of both southern and northern Canadian fisheries needed to be assessed for a more accurate understanding of the total impact. |
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Study in the lab | The authors interviewed 779 fishers to assess the bycatch of Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) in small-scale surface and bottom gillnet and purse-seine fisheries in Peru and Chile. Results estimated 4,067 penguins were caught as bycatch in 2023 alone, with the highest rates associated with the following: gillnets, location of larger penguin colonies, larger mesh sizes, and certain target species (i.e. corvina drum (Seriolella violacea) and Peruvian grunt (Anisotremus scapularis)). Bycatch was reported in both gear types, but fisher responses as to the state and fate of caught penguins was scant and variable.
Results showed an estimated total of 4067 (±889 s.d.) penguins |
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Peru |
Gillnets
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unspecified | Small Cetaceans (maximum length < 7.5 meters) | Field study in the wild | The authors performed onboard surveys (line transects and passive acoustic monitoring) and interviewed gillnet fishers to assess abundance and bycatch of the endemic Burmeister’s porpoises (Phocoena spinipinnis) in northern Peru in 2023. The population abundance in the study area was estimated at 1,696 spatially distributed individuals, with the highest densities found within 25km of shore and within shallow waters ≤50 m. Fishers' descriptions of bycatch aligned with survey results, and most fishers reported experiencing porpoise bycatch the previous year. The annual bycatch rate was estimated to be 420 porpoises across the entire artisanal gillnet fishery of Salaverry, which far exceeds sustainable limits and highlights the urgent need for bycatch mitigation measures.
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Summary study | The authors used onboard observers and fishing records to evaluate marine mammal bycatch in trawl fisheries of the San Matías Gulf, Argentina. Results show that, of 46 incidentally caught species, the American sea lion (Otaria byronia) was caught most frequently, and that catch was associated with proximity to colonies and the target species identity. Significantly higher bycatch rates were observed in the hake fleet.
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Summary study | The authors evaluated factors influencing marine mammal bycatch in static net fishing operations in the UK between 1996 and 2023. Since 2014, harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) bycatch has been decreasing while common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) bycatch has been increasing; grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) bycatch has been increasing gradually across the time period. Influential factors included seasonal patterns, water depth, and level of fishing effort.
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northern Canada |
Gillnets
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Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) | Seabirds | Field study in the wild | The authors assessed accurate reporting of seabird bycatch in the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fishery in northern Canada. The amount of bird bycatch reported by at-sea observers and carcass collections yielded different (0.5-11-fold higher) results from that of the at-sea observers database. This highlights huge discrepancies in methods which suggest that seabird bycatch data is not accurate.
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northern Canada |
Trawls
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Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) | Seabirds | Field study in the wild | The authors assessed accurate reporting of seabird bycatch in the Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) fishery in northern Canada. The amount of bird bycatch reported by at-sea observers and carcass collections yielded different (0.5-11-fold higher) results from that of the at-sea observers database. This highlights huge discrepancies in methods which suggest that seabird bycatch data is not accurate.
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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
Gillnets
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Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) |
Decreased soak time
Short sets
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Field study in the wild | The authors tested bycatch rates in various soak times and durations in shallow-set gillnets in the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) bait fishery in Canada. Nearly all bycatch, including seabird, occurred during control (24+ hour) sets as opposed to short (12 hour) daytime or overnight sets. Because seabirds associated with fishing vessels during the daytime, the authors recommend that fishers set overnight and haul nets in the early morning to minimize seabird bycatch risk.
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