February 15, 2016 — Shrimpers and biologists surprised the experts last summer by using modified trawl nets that drastically reduced the amount of popular fish caught and discarded.
The nets were fitted with a variety of devices beyond what is already required, including “spooker cones” that scare away fish before they enter the net, additional escape openings called fisheyes, and tailbags with larger mesh. The tailbag is where the catch collects at the end of the net.
The test trawls gathered 77 tons of fish and shrimp. The most effective test nets were fitted with two fisheyes and a tailbag with a mesh width of 1 7/8 inches. That net caught 211 pounds of shrimp and 183 pounds of fish.
Brown called that a stunning result because bycatch is typically triple the amount of shrimp. Some estimates put bycatch at four to five times the shrimp haul.
The experimental net produced another surprise: It caught more shrimp than the control net, which had no bycatch reduction devices.
Biologists and fishermen were amazed how effective the test devices were, said Kevin Brown, a gear development biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries.
“I am pleasantly shocked at where we are,” he said.
The shrimping industry is under pressure to reduce bycatch, the unintended entrapment of highly regarded marine species, including sea turtles. The trawl nets are pulled behind the boat near the bottom of the sound.
Devices that deflect turtles and help fish avoid or escape the nets have been required for years, but the amount of bycatch is still about three times that of the targeted seafood of shrimp. Typically, the bycatch fish are juveniles not fit for market and are discarded overboard.