Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets
Bycatch in gillnets is a global issue and mitigation measures that balance target species catch rates, bycatch reduction and fisher support are scarce. In the North Atlantic lumpfish fisheries, bycatch includes marine mammals and seabirds, and there are no permanent technical initiatives to reduce t...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221536 https://doaj.org/article/9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 2023-05-15T15:55:54+02:00 Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets Søren Post Flemming Merkel Zita Bak-Jensen Christoffer Koch Rasmus Berg Hedeholm 2023-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221536 https://doaj.org/article/9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221536 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.221536 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 4 (2023) bycatch reduction common eider (Somateria mollissima) gillnet fishery seabirds Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221536 2023-04-09T00:33:19Z Bycatch in gillnets is a global issue and mitigation measures that balance target species catch rates, bycatch reduction and fisher support are scarce. In the North Atlantic lumpfish fisheries, bycatch includes marine mammals and seabirds, and there are no permanent technical initiatives to reduce the bycatch. In the West Greenland fishery, common eider bycatch is several thousand individuals annually. We explored if bycatch in this fishery could be reduced by modifying standard lumpfish gillnets by adding a 45 cm high small-meshed net panel to the bottom part of the net. We tested the nets in combination with standard nets and estimated catch rates in a controlled setting in 2021 and in the commercial fishery in 2022. The modified nets had a 71% reduced bycatch rate for common eider and a 25% reduced catch rate for female lumpfish. A combination of the panel and increased seaweed entanglement was the most likely explanation for the effect. In addition to the effect of the net modification, the common eider bycatch decreased significantly during the season, and we recommend studying the net effect further and exploring the option of postponing the fishing season as a simpler way of reducing bycatch. Article in Journal/Newspaper Common Eider Greenland North Atlantic Somateria mollissima Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland Royal Society Open Science 10 4 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
bycatch reduction common eider (Somateria mollissima) gillnet fishery seabirds Science Q |
spellingShingle |
bycatch reduction common eider (Somateria mollissima) gillnet fishery seabirds Science Q Søren Post Flemming Merkel Zita Bak-Jensen Christoffer Koch Rasmus Berg Hedeholm Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
topic_facet |
bycatch reduction common eider (Somateria mollissima) gillnet fishery seabirds Science Q |
description |
Bycatch in gillnets is a global issue and mitigation measures that balance target species catch rates, bycatch reduction and fisher support are scarce. In the North Atlantic lumpfish fisheries, bycatch includes marine mammals and seabirds, and there are no permanent technical initiatives to reduce the bycatch. In the West Greenland fishery, common eider bycatch is several thousand individuals annually. We explored if bycatch in this fishery could be reduced by modifying standard lumpfish gillnets by adding a 45 cm high small-meshed net panel to the bottom part of the net. We tested the nets in combination with standard nets and estimated catch rates in a controlled setting in 2021 and in the commercial fishery in 2022. The modified nets had a 71% reduced bycatch rate for common eider and a 25% reduced catch rate for female lumpfish. A combination of the panel and increased seaweed entanglement was the most likely explanation for the effect. In addition to the effect of the net modification, the common eider bycatch decreased significantly during the season, and we recommend studying the net effect further and exploring the option of postponing the fishing season as a simpler way of reducing bycatch. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Søren Post Flemming Merkel Zita Bak-Jensen Christoffer Koch Rasmus Berg Hedeholm |
author_facet |
Søren Post Flemming Merkel Zita Bak-Jensen Christoffer Koch Rasmus Berg Hedeholm |
author_sort |
Søren Post |
title |
Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
title_short |
Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
title_full |
Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
title_fullStr |
Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bycatch mitigation in the West Greenland lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
title_sort |
bycatch mitigation in the west greenland lumpfish (cyclopterus lumpus) fishery using modified gillnets |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221536 https://doaj.org/article/9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Common Eider Greenland North Atlantic Somateria mollissima |
genre_facet |
Common Eider Greenland North Atlantic Somateria mollissima |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 4 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221536 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.221536 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/9a9968f2612544f3ad64768f949d2cf2 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221536 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
4 |
_version_ |
1766391382868492288 |