A study of changes in groundfish trawl catching efficiency due todifferences in operating width, and measures to reduce width variation

摘要

The influence of trawl width on the ability of a survey trawl to capture groundfish was tested by comparing catch rates between paired tows with and without a constraint line that reduced the operating width of the trawl. The vertical distribution of fish near and above the seafloor was recorded with an echo sounder to test for the incidence of fish diving into the path of the trawl during the tows.