Publication Abstract

Reducing discards of North Sea brown shrimp (C. crangon) by trawl modification

A. Revill and R. Holst

The discarding of small (non-marketable) brown shrimp (Crangon crangon L.) in the North Sea brown shrimp fisheries is omnipresent and substantial in magnitude (circa 27,000 tonnes / 75 billion individuals annually). This work assessed the efficacy of various trawl modifications aimed at reducing the level of small shrimp discards by experimentation. Changes in the cod end mesh size, belly and upper panels, the inclusion of a sieve net and combinations were all tested and evaluated.

The work identified that a 26mm cod end or the fitting of a 64mm sieve net would reduce discard levels of the small (non-marketable) shrimp by around 20 percent, without loss of target sized shrimp. There was no additional discard reduction by the use of both modifications simultaneously within a trawl.

Reference:

A. Revill and R. Holst (2004) Reducing discards of North Sea brown shrimp (C.crangon) by trawl modification. Fisheries Research, 68: 113-122