Evaluation of Trawl Excluder Devices in the Pamlico Sound Shrimp Fishery

摘要

Four different devices were tested in the Pamlico Sound shrimp trawl fishery during October-November 1987 to determine their ability to reduce finfish bycatch while retaining shrimp. Testing was conducted aboard a local shrimp vessel using a randomized incomplete block design, including a control net. The four devices were (1) Scottish Separator Trawl (SST), (2) Florida Fish Excluder (FFE), (3) Georgia TED, and (4) Parrish TED. The SST appeared to separate flounder from non-demersal fishes, but lost shrimp. The Parrish TED caught less fish and shrimp than the control net. The Georgia TED and the FFE both had reduced bycatches of finfish and no significant difference in shrimp catch relative to the control net. Both of these gears deserve further testing in North Carolina. Because of its smaller size and ease of installation, the FFE is recommended over the Georgia TED at this time as a device for reducing finfish bycatch in the Pamlico Sound shrimp trawl fishery.