Trawls

Northern Atlantic 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

Atlantic Cod

Groundfish

Shrimp

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals

Sea Turtles

Solutions

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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

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

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

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.