| In the English Channel and Southern Bight, French demersal trawlers target a mix of demersal species including whiting (Merlangius merlangus). The discard ban to be implemented in January 2016 motivated fishermen to look for technical measures to reduce unwanted catches of undersized individuals (<27 cm). From 2008–2014, 18 different gear configurations were tested for bycatch reduction on board fleets of vessels of 16–20 m and 20–24 m. Selective devices tested included grids, square mesh panels (SMP), square mesh cylinders (SMC), various combinations of these devices and large mesh trawls. Using the catch comparison method, our results focus on six devices that proved efficient to reduce catches of undersized whiting, equally divided between the two... |
