Why do fishermen discard? Distribution and quantification of the causes of discards in the Southern Bay of Biscay passive gear fisheries

Abstract

cited By (since 1996)0International audienceIn the context of the Common Fisheries Policy reform, the need for decreasing discards has been highlighted in discussions on the implementation of a discard ban. While most of the research has focused on the quantification of discards by species and métier, identification and quantification of the causes of discards have received little attention. This study presents the results of on-board surveys conducted in the Southern Bay of Biscay fleets of netters and longliners. A large variability of discards was observed. It is also shown that in these passive gear fisheries the main reasons for discarding put forward by fishermen are, firstly, market-related and, secondly, quality-related; discards related to the application of regulations are minor. The results therefore illustrate that decisions to discard can also occur in highly selective fisheries because of economic constraint and the results also show that a part is discarded alive. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Age and growth of small red scorpionfish, Scorpaena notata (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Scorpaenidae), a common discard species from the Portuguese fishery

“…Decreasing discards has been put forward as one of the main reform challenges of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union (Morandeau et al 2014), but designing effective bycatch mitigation programmes requires, among others, an understanding of the life histories of target and non-target species (O'Keefe et al 2014).…”

Effect of fisher’s soak tactic on catch pattern in the Danish gillnet plaice fishery

“…Together with avoiding unwanted catch of crab and dab, gillnetters targeting plaice in the observed coastal summer fishery managed to maximize their catch of the target species using shorter soaks in daylight (12 h at day). Fishers also have an economic interest in reducing the soak duration to prevent quality degradation of the entangled catch by scavengers and predators common in passive fishing gears (Borges et al, 2001;Morandeau et al, 2014;Savina et al, 2016).…”

“…Limiting unwanted species is in the fisher's interest as it reduces handling time, which can be intensive in gillnet fisheries. Handling time affects the fishing power, i.e., the number and length of gillnets that can be handled during a fishing trip (Morandeau et al, 2014;Fauconnet and Rochet, 2016). The selection properties of gillnets may be improved by altering mesh size, netting material, or twine size.…”

Testing the effect of soak time on catch damage in a coastal gillnetter and the consequences on processed fish quality

“…Raw material is increasingly identified as a key factor in fish quality, and catch damages may result in reduced price or discarding (Esaiassen, Akse, & Joensen, 2013;Lawler, 2003;Margeirsson, Jonsson, Arason, & Thorkelsson, 2007;Santos, Gaspar, Monteiro, & Vasconcelos, 2002). In the gillnet fisheries, more fish are discarded due to poor quality than being below the legal minimum landing size (Batista, Teixeira, & Cabral, 2009;Borges et al, 2001;Gonçalves et al, 2008;Morandeau et al, 2014). Challenges in gillnets are that fish can die in the gear when the net is soaked, the netting can cause marks on the fish skin, and there is an increased risk of injuries due to predation or scavenging of fish in the gear (Auclair, 1984;Perez & Wahrlich, 2005;Petrakis, Cheilari, & Cambi e, 2010;Santos et al, 2002;Suuronen et al, 2012).…”