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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

Weak Inserts, Weak Rope

Pots and traps fisheries use buoy lines (high-strength ropes) attached to pots and traps to mark gear on the ocean bottom. Buoy lines that extend from the trap on the seafloor to the surface sometimes cause marine mammals and sea turtles to become entangled often leading to severe injury or death.

Fishery Type

Pots/Traps

Ocean Region

Northern Atlantic Ocean, Northern Pacific Ocean

Target Species

American Lobster, Dungeness Crab, Groundfish, Snow Crab

Bycatch Species

Marine Mammals

Gears and Best Practices

Weighted Branchline

Weighted branch lines increase the sink rate of baited hooks decreasing the amount of time that they can be predated on by seabirds and that seabirds can get hooked.

Fishery Type

Longline

Ocean Region

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

Target Species

Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna

Bycatch Species

Seabirds