This study aimed to identify the actual catch situation of offshore dredge gear which is newly regulated in the legislation. It’s also conducted to identify the species composition, weight of the catch including the target species and incidental catches, and to provide the basic information necessary for the resource management of aquatic organisms caught by offshore dredge. During the investigation period (from September 2022 to May 2023), a total of 61 species appeared in the test operation sea of Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do and Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, with 31 species of fishes, 11 species of malacostraca, six species of gastropoda, five species of bivalvia, three species of cephalopoda, three species of asteroidea, one species each of asteroidea and holothuroidea appeared. According to the results of the test operation conducted in September and November 2022, the non-catch season of Atrina (Servatrina) pectinata, 1,203 shellfishes were caught out of 2,979 caught in number, showing a bycatch rate of 59.6%, and by weight, 157.9 kg of shellfish was caught out of the total catch of 448.4 kg, showing a bycatch rate of 64.8%. On the other hand, in February and May 2023, the catch season for Atrina (Servatrina) pectinata, 3,692 fishsells were caught out of the 4,232 catches in total, showing a bycatch rate of 12.8%, and by weight, 1,185.0 kg of shellfish was caught out of the total catch of 1,293.2 kg, showing an 8.3% bycatch rate.

The United States enforces the seafood import regulations so-called the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and by 2023, all exports of aquatic products and processed fish products by fisheries which have not obtained an “Comparability Finding” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be completely banned. Therefore, to respond to the US MMPA, it is critical to identify technologies and methods used in worldwide for reducing bycatch of marine mammals. In particular, marine mammals are frequently caught in five fisheries (trawl, gill net, trap, stow net and set net) in Korea, which is facing a great challenge. This study presented bycatch reduction methods by five fisheries, classified the methods by country, and suggested appropriate reduction methods which can be applied in Korea.

The 1/5 scale–down model of the Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD) from an Argentinean demersal trawl was tested in a circulating water channel. The BRD is designed to help small Hake (merluza, merluccius hubbsi) to escape from a trawl. It is settled in front of a trawl codend, and is equipped with selection grids that help small fish to escape from the gear and guiding panels that help fish to meet with the grids. Bars of the grids are wires covered by the PVC and other parts of the BRD are made of net. When the velocity was less than 0.65 m/sec (2.81 Kont when translated to real towing speed) which is slow speed compared with real towing speed, position between an upper guiding panel and an upper selection grid were good to help small fish to escape. When the velocity was more than 0.8 m/sec (3.41 Knot when translated to real towing speed) which is similar to and faster than real towing speed, it was considered that small fish may have difficulties in escaping because the gap was not enough between an upper guiding panel and an upper selection grid. The lower selection grid was sat on the bottom of the tank without an angle due to the weight that it carries. Improvements were proposed to position the panels and the grids better.

An active stimulating device, such as a fluttering net or canvas attached to the end of a cod end generating a shaking motion, could help to encourage the escape of juvenile fish positioned passively near the net. Field fishing trials using a shrimp beam trawl were carried out to examine the effect on the reduction of juvenile fish or other discard catch by generating a shaking movement of the cod end using an unbiased cap-like round canvas. The mean period of the shaking motion with the round canvas was 〜14 s, and the mean amplitude was 0.4 m as measured by peak event analysis and the global wavelet method. The bycatch of juvenile fish in 14 trials decreased by 〜30% and by 〜25% using a steady cod end for the total bycatch using a shaking cod end in the shrimp beam trawl, while the marketing catch was similar between steady and shaking cod ends. There was no difference in the body size of the shrimp or fish and species composition between the steady and shaking cod ends. Above results demonstrate a new method for bycatch reduction using an active stimulating device, although more detailed studies are needed.