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.