Discarding juvenile fishes under girth 16 cm nearly equal to inner perimeter of codend mesh size collected by a cover net method in bottom trawl. The body size of the main five species (mackerel, horse mackerel, sea bream, melon seed and black throat seaperch) was measured for their body length, girth, weight, height and width and analyzed size selectivity. Frequency of penetrating fish as retention in a cover net was less than 40% of total number of juvenile discarding fish. The most of body length or girth of five species were significantly different between in the codend and in the cover net. The 50% selection girth in the cover net ranged 8-11 cm were smaller than those in the codend ranged 9-13 cm by the species respectively. The 50% selection body length was significantly related with the ratio of body height (H) by body width (W) both for in the codend or in the cover net while 50% selection girth was not significantly related with H/W. Furthermore 50% selection fish size by fish species between in the codend and in the cover net was not significantly different both in body length or girth. Therefore, the girth selectivity represented possibly as one unique value regarding fish body shape was considered as more useful method for multi-species catch in trawl.

Capture efficiencies of commercial shrimp trawls may improve if their designs took into better account behavioral responses of wild shrimp to approaching cod-end of the trawls. Here we report results of water tunnel-based experimental studies of responses of wild California target prawns to several different near-realistic netting configurations over a range of water velocities (0.3–0.7 m/s). Netting panels were oriented at parallel to water flows (FP) on the bottom of test section, vertical (VT) or diagonal sloping backward (DG), bottom to top. Behavioral responses were recorded by video camera and analyzed frame by frame. Measured responses included rates of penetrating through netting by behavioral features and tail-flip frequencies. Frequencies of prawn passing through the nets increased with flow speed for both orientations and were higher at given speeds for sloped nets. Other behavioral features (e.g., passage head-or tail-first) also varied significantly with water velocities and netting orientation. Interactions of penetrating rates between netting orientations and flow speeds also were significantly dependent, except for prawn size. Additional studies are needed of other shrimp species and at higher water velocities more similar to actual field operations using trawls to improve size selectivity.

Most grid sorting has been used to sort out flatfish in shrimp fisheries, while double grid systems have been tested to separate smaller shrimp. The escape of juvenile red seabream through separating panels made with steel grids or large mesh tested for masking effects in a two-species system. Fish behavior was observed in a circulating water tank. The escape rate was 20% greater with the separating codends than with the normal codend in the single-species experiments. The rates in the two-species experiments were 30% or 20% greater than the single-species rates for the normal or separating codends, respectively. The seabream retention rates in the grid separator codend decreased as rockfish retention increased, possibly due to a threat effect. Conversely, the retention rate of both species increased concurrently in the net separator, possibly due to a masking effect. The escape rates of juvenile red seabream varied by compartment in the mesh separating codend. These results suggest that grid separating codends can be used in the field as towed fishing gear to reduce juvenile catch.

Selectivity and by-catch are the main features used to define fish catch for fisheries management or to determine fishing gear efficiency. A fish girth distribution analysis was carried out to determine the retention rate of juveniles discarded and to establish common selectivity for a multispecies catch. Total body length, body weight, and girth of juvenile fish retained in the cod-end and cover net separately were collected using an 18-mm mesh cover net during 12 fishing trials with a 41-mm cod-end beam trawl. The by-catch weight ratio in the cod-end was twice that of the by-catch ratio in number. The 50% selectivity of body length and 50% girth of redfin velvet fish were not significantly different between the cod-end and cover net, whereas those of other fish species were significantly different between the cod-end and cover net. The difference in 50% selectivity girth of other fish between the cod-end and cover net was similar between cod-end mesh size and cover net mesh size. Furthermore, the difference in 50% body length selectivity of other fish between the cod-end and cover net was almost double the difference in girth. Girth selectivity in a multispecies catch using towed fishing gear was effectively used to determine fish and net mesh size.

Tidal turbulence was examined using three-dimensional tidal velocity data observed at a trench offshore of Tongyoung, Korea. The kinetic energy and intensity, including the variation period of the flow velocity and direction, were used to investigate the relationships between tidal turbulence and fishing gear dynamics, including the effects of swimming fish during fishing operations. As the resultant velocity increased from 0.2 to 0.9 m/s, the kinetic energy also significantly increased, while the turbulence intensity decreased from 50 to 10%. Tidal flow in strong flow fields displayed shorter periods of between 4 and 10 s, as determined by fast Fourier transform, the global wavelet method, and peak event analysis, and the periods were compared with the period of response to swimming fish and to oscillation of fishing gear. As mean velocity increased, velocity amplitude also increased from 0.1 to 0.6 m/s, and its directional amplitude changed markedly from 20 and 90°. Our study suggests that tidal turbulence can influence fish behavior or fishing gear geometry during fishing operations, although our analysis considered only a limited area. In future work, observations should be carried out over a more extensive depth and area.

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.