Developing a semi-pelagic trawl to capture redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

Vang Y Nguyen; Shannon M Bayse; Paul D Winger; Harold DeLouche; George Legge

doi:10.7717/peerj.16244

Developing a semi-pelagic trawl to capture redfish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada

PeerJ. 2023 Oct 16:11:e16244. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16244. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Vang Y Nguyen¹, Shannon M Bayse¹, Paul D Winger¹, Harold DeLouche¹, George Legge¹

Affiliation

¹ Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Abstract

In this study, we developed a semi-pelagic trawl to target redfish (Sebastes spp.) and potentially reduce the capture of bycatch species and seabed impacts in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. The new trawl used an innovative technique connecting the upper bridles of the trawl to the warps, anterior of the trawl doors, leading to the trawl system being fished off the seabed. Such a technique can be used to match the heights of redfish as they move above the seabed during their diurnal cycle while allowing bycatch species related to the seabed to escape under the trawl. A 1:10 scale model of the trawl was constructed and evaluated in a flume tank to optimize the rigging and then a full-scale trawl was constructed for sea trials. Two field experiments subsequently evaluated the trawl at sea. The first field experiment concentrated on the experimental trawl's operation and video observations of redfish behaviour in the trawl mouth and its effect on trawl entry. The second field experiment concentrated on a small-scale preliminary test on the catch of redfish and bycatch species when the trawl was on or off the seabed. Capture results, though preliminary, indicate that redfish can be targeted commercially with a semi-pelagic trawl, though some redfish will escape under the trawl. Additionally, results suggest that the catches of bycatch species may be reduced. In conclusion, this study suggests that a semi-pelagic trawl could be considered an effective technique to harvest redfish sustainably.

Keywords: Bycatch reduction; Capture efficiency; Fish behaviour; Gear modification; Groundgear; Redfish; Redfish fishery; Seabed impacts; Semi-pelagic trawl; Trawl designs.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Canada
Fisheries*
Perciformes*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI), the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology, The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) through the Ocean Frontier Institute (Module H), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.