Trawls

Eastern Pacific Ocean

Trawls are large nets towed either in the water column (mid-water trawls) or on the seafloor (bottom trawls) depending on the target catch. Anything caught is funneled into the codend at the end of the net which is hauled onto the boat and dumped on the deck.

Target Species

Hake

Shrimp

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals

Sea Turtles

Solutions

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Gears and Best Practices

Avoid Hotspots

Hotspots are areas that have a higher abundance of bycatch taxa where it is more likely to have high bycatch rates if fishing is conducted. It is a best practice to avoid setting fishing gear in these locations.

Fishery Type

Gillnets, Longline, Purse Seine, Trawls

Ocean Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean

Target Species

American Lobster, Dungeness Crab, Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Decreased Soak Times

Soak time is the amount of time that deployed fishing gear stays in the water. The longer the gear is set in the water, the higher the bycatch rate will be.

Fishery Type

Gillnets, Longline, Purse Seine, Trawls

Ocean Region

Eastern Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean, Southern Atlantic Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean

Target Species

Atlantic Cod, Groundfish, Mahi, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Seabirds, Sharks and Rays

Gears and Best Practices

Turtle-Excluder Devices

Turtle excluder devices are modifications to trawl nets that block specific taxa from getting dragged into the cod end of the net and allows them to swim out while the trawl net is being towed.

Fishery Type

Trawls

Ocean Region

Indian Ocean, Eastern Pacific Ocean, Northern Atlantic Ocean

Target Species

Atlantic Cod, Groundfish, Shrimp

Bycatch Species

Sea Turtles

Funding Opportunities

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Fisheries

Trawls

Species Impacted

Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Sharks and Rays

Target Species

Hake, Squid, Groundfish

Description

Commercial benthic and demersal trawling has long been criticized for high bycatch rates and environmental damage. Trawl bycatch includes non-target species and target species that are not profitable or must legally be discarded. It can also include protected species such as marine mammals, seabirds, sturgeon, and turtles. Animals discarded after being caught in a trawl net frequently die before they can be returned to the water. These discards can negatively impact fish populations and can reduce fishery access through early closure.

The FloMo Modular Harvesting System was developed to address sustainability issues and environmental damage caused by traditional commercial trawling. It features a novel trawl net that enhances catch selectivity, fish survivability, and quality. FloMo nets use a specialized fabric cylinder that inflates hydrodynamically from water movement, creating a low-turbulence zone that decreases fish-on-fish and fish-on-net damage. The cylinder is designed with apertures of various sizes and shapes, which help reduce water velocity inside the net while primarily enabling the escape of undersized fish and non-target species. The shape, size, and pattern of the escapement apertures are tailored to target specific species and sizes. The end of the FloMo net also features a unique design that allows catch to be brought onboard in a water-filled bag, significantly reducing crush damage and preserving quality. During testing and operational use in New Zealand's commercial fisheries, there has been no evidence of increased fuel consumption when using the FloMo system compared to conventional mesh nets. In some trials, vessels could significantly reduce their trawl speeds without negatively affecting catch rates, thereby saving fuel.

The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation(CFRF) located in Rhode Island, US, has identified three fisheries that target species, Summer flounder (Fluke), Silver Hake (Whiting) and Longfin squid, if tested with FloMo, could provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the innovative net design and offer the broadest range of opportunities to expand or project trial results to other similar high-value or high-volume fisheries in the US New England region and beyond.

Beneficiary: Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF)

Equipment, travel, vessel time and training $180,000 USD

The Problem

Marine mammals and sea turtles can be caught in the net and drown if not able to surface to breathe. Other than excluder devices, there are few mitigation options and the most effective bycatch reduction is modifications to fishing methods.