Demersal trawl fisheries for finfish are a major contributor to the problem of bycatch and the at-sea discard of unwanted animals. Dead discards also represent a lost opportunity to increased global fish production and serves to increase the public's negative perception of the fishing industry. The reduction of bycatch and discards is the key strategies for the sustainable utilization of an abundance and diversity of marine life resources.

In recent years various attempts at seeking solutions to mitigate the impact of demersal trawl fisheries on the benthic animals and their habitat are globally and regionally made. One of notable instances is an attempt at conducting Gadoid Capture by Pot (GACAPOT) around the Northern Atlantic, which is targeting Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and other gadoid species. GACAPOT has drawn attention of fishers, researchers and other stakeholders to its ideal or near-ideal qualities in low impact on habitat, narrow species selection, and low mortality of non-target species as an alternative gear from demersal trawl. However, GACAPOT is not yet viable enough to reach commercial basis due to its low catch rates. Another one for the most important and realistic strategies is the improvement of fishing gear selectivity. Both approaches are based on the technique utilizing the knowledge of behavioural characteristics of target and non-target animals, and the reliance of selection is placed on those differences between sizes and between species.