March 30, 2015 — A meeting being held this week in New Bern will kick off an effort to study new methods and potential gear for reducing the bycatch of finfish in shrimp trawls.
A work group established by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, a day-long workshop that will include presentations by experts from North Carolina and other coastal states on the latest technology in bycatch reduction gear and experiences.
The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the History Center at Tryon Palace, 5295 Front St.
The work group is a 12-member committee that includes fishermen, net makers, fish dealers and other stakeholders has been set up under a recently adopted amendment to the N.C. Shrimp Fishery Management Plan.
The group is tasked with helping the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries test new methods of reducing the amount of bycatch of spot, croaker, and other unwanted finfish in shrimp trawls.
Read the full story at the Jacksonville Daily News