Working Laterally Towards Perfect Selectivity in Fishing Gears

Few fishing methods and gears are entirely selective for the targeted species and their sizes, with many retaining at least some incidental catches (collectively termed "bycatch"). Of primary concern is the contribution that the mortalities of such bycatches may have on subsequent stocks. While extensive work to develop modifications to fishing gears has facilitated considerable reductions in bycatches over the past 20 years, very few (if any) of the changes made are 100% effective. There remains, therefore, a substantial mortality of discards in many fisheries, particularly those using trawls. To work more comprehensively towards the ultimate goal of achieving perfect selectivity, we propose that, in addition to conventional bycatch reduction strategies, a lateral approach should also be adopted involving completely alternative gears that, because of their design, operation, or both, have selective mechanisms that could be used to address problematic gears.

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