BYCATCH REDUCTION DEVICES

SUJIT KUMAR BFT08028

 INTRODUCTION

BYCATCH
CODES RELATED TO BYCATCH REDUCTION BRD

PRINCIPLES OF WORKING OF BRD

BRD IN TRAWL BRD IN PURSE SEINE

BRD IN GILL NET

CONCLUSION

 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Nations (FAO) has recently estimated that nearly 7 million tonnes of fish bycatch is discarded globally by commercial fishermen every year. This is equivalent to about 8% of the global catch from marine capture fisheries. Industrial shrimp trawling in tropical waters is a leading offender in the capture of bycatch and accounts for abou t 27% of all global discard. Bycatch is biggest problem in sustainability of marine capture fisheries. BRD implementation is an excellent approach towards reduction of bycatch. BRD also increases the selectivity of fishing gear

 In its broadest sense, bycatch includes all non target

animals and non-living material (debris) which are caught while fishing. Bycatch also includes animals and non-living material that interact with the fishing gear but do not reach the deck of the fishing boat. This includes coral and weed that are contacted by the passing ground gear and small fish that are selected out of the net It include turtles, fish, crabs, sharks, stingrays, pieces of coral, weed and seabed debris. Sometimes this is called incidental or accidental catch. Bycatch is common to commercial and recreational fishing, many types of gear, and many shellfish and finfish species.

 Bycatch is unavoidable. It can include species that may be targeted in other

fisheries, undersized fish in the target fishery as well as accidentally caught endangered or protected species Therefore, removing them affects the food chain and ultimately the economic and social aspects of the fishery in many ways. For example, positive results occur when fishermen release bycatch or retain it for consumption or sale, or when weakened or dead bycatch becomes food for scavengers in the food chain. Negative results occur when an endangered or protected species is removed from its already small population.

 Section 8.5 on

fishing gear selectivity, seeks to promote development and wide spread adoption of fishing gear and methods which would minimise waste,discards, and catch of non targeted species.

 Bycatch Reduction device

BRD is any modification designed principally to

exclude bycatch. These devices may exclude other animals and nonliving material (debris), but because fish usually dominate the bycatch most BRD research has attempted to exclude these animals

 Size of species

Swimming pattern.
Behaviour of species inside the net.

 BRD can be broadly classified into three categories

based on the type of materials used for their construction 1. Soft BRD- Made up of soft material like netting and rope frames. 2. Hard BRD- Made up of hard and or semiflexible grids and structures 3. Combination BRD- Use more than one BRD

 Trawling is generally regarded as one of the least

selective fishing methods because the bycatch may consist of over several hundred teleost species and outweigh the shrimp catch by 20 to 1 or more. No other fishing method comes close to matching such discarding and wastage of marine resources Trawl fisheries in different part of world are now being required to use BRD as a result of pressure from conservation groups and legal regimes introduced by the governments.

 BRD not only conserve the biodiversity but it has also

some advantages on operation . Reduction in damage to shrimp due to absence of larger size animals. Shorter sorting time Longer tow time Lower fuel cost due to reduced net drag

 Most commonly used BRD in trawlers are as below

1. Escape window 2. Radial escapement section 3. BRD with guiding panels 4. Sieve net 5. Rigid grid sorting devices 6. Fish eye BRD 7. JFE-SSD(juvenile fish excluder cum shrimp sorting devices) 8. J-TED(juvenile and trash excluder devices) 9. TED ( turtle excluder device)

 Soft BRD
Made up of large square mesh netting (square mesh

window), or parallel ropes (rope BRD) , or simple slits(big eye BRD) It is provided at the upper side of code end or belly. Works at the principle of differential behaviour of fishes and shrimp . Fishes that have entered the cod end tend to swim back and escapes through the opening.

ESCAPE WINDOW

 This device is designed to exclude small fish usually

juvenile or trash fish - from the trawl and maintain the catch of shrimp and large fish. Combination BRD The JTED consists of three sections hinged together; the first two sections are metal grids and the third section is a metal frame supporting a panel of finemesh netting. Small fish swim between the bars of the grids and escape.

 The netting panel in the third section helps maintain

the orientation of the device, prevents shrimp surging forward in the codend and escaping, and prevents small fish from re-entering the codend. The JTED was designed by SEAFDEC and has been tested in shrimp fisheries in several countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei Durrussalam and Indonesia.

 The SEAFDEC has also developed two rope JTEDs.

One design is a rectangular stainless steel frame fitted with tightly strung parallel ropes. The frame is inserted into the top of the codend with the ropes oriented lengthways along the codend. Small fish escape from the trawl by rising upward between the ropes of the JTED. The evaluation of JTED in vietnamese shrimp trawl industry has shown exclusion of 73% of juvenile fish , 16% valuable fish, & 8% of shrimp.

The rope JTED is designed to allow fish escape between the parallel ropes.

The JTED is a BRD that filters small fish including trash fish from the catch but not the larger shrimp.

JTED

 A fisheye is an elliptical steel or aluminium frame fitted to

the codend through which fish swim to escape. Fisheyes are usually placed in the top or sides of the codend so that strong swimming fish can escape, while shrimp passively enter the codend. The location of the fisheye is important. If it is too close to the accumulated catch shrimp loss can occur during haulback, particularly during rough weather. On the other hand, it should not be located too far forward as fish swimming ahead of the accumulated catch are unlikely to reach the escape opening.

 The optimal position of the fisheye is difficult to

predict given that performance is influenced by fish behaviour, catch composition and volume It consist of an oval or semicircular shaped structure of about 200mm in height and 300mm in width with supporting frames of stainless steel rods.This opening facilitates the escape of fish which swim backward from the end of the cod end.

The fisheye is designed to allow strong swimming fish to escape from the trawl.

 Will not exclude seabed animals and debris

Poor escape for species that behave in the

same way as shrimp

Optimal position difficult to determine

May foul on the side of the vessel during

hauling

A fisheye in the top of the codend

fisheye

fisheye in the top of the codend

 Radial escapement device. Soft BRD The RES was developed to exclude large fish bycatch. A radial section of netting with large meshes or parallel

ropes are provided between hind belly and cod end. Often a funnel made of small netting is provided to accelerate the water flow inside the trawl and carry the catch towards the cod end.Actively swimming fishes swim back and escape through the large mesh netting section surrounding the funnel , where the water flow is weak while shrimps are retained in the cod end.

 Studies using RED have shown 20-40% reduction in

the fish by catch.

The radial escape section

The radial escape section

The radial escape section

 Advantages:

Large escape openings allow large fish to escape

May increase shrimp catch due to longer towing time

(less drag and fewer hauls) May reduce sorting time

 Disadvantages:

Will not exclude seabed animals and debris

Funnel may become clogged More complicated design than most otherfish

excluders May foul on the side of the vessel during hauling More difficult to handle than a standard codend

 A square-mesh window is usually a panel of

squaremesh netting located in the top panel of the codend or trawl body. As fish pass through the trawl they orientate directionally toward the device and swim through the square escape openings. The selection of mesh size is very important and trial and error is needed to find the mesh size that maximises fish exclusion and prevents shrimp loss.

 Like the fisheye the size and location of the square-

mesh window is also important. The top of the codend is the favoured position, as this reduces shrimp loss, and it should not be too close to the catch in the codend or shrimp will be lost. Conversely, if the square mesh window is located too far forward in the codend, fish swimming ahead of the accumulated catch will be unable to swim forward and reach the escape openings.

 The success of these windows has generally been

limited because shrimp loss can be very high, particularly if large volumes of shrimp enter the trawl simultaneously.

These fishermen are using a very large square-mesh window to exclude fish bycatch from the trawl

The square-mesh window

 Advantages:

Small fish bycatch may escape

Relatively simple design and easy to use May reduce sorting times

May increase towing time (less drag and fewer hauls)

May increase shrimp catch due to longer towing time

 Disadvantages:

Shape of fish affects escape rates, so some species are

more likely to escape than others Square-meshes may distort if not correctly fitted Performance (if located in the codend) linked to catch volume More difficult to repair than traditional diamond mesh Will not exclude seabed animals and debris

 Hard BRD

Several design has been developed

1. JTED(juvenile and trash excluder devices) 2. JFE-SSD(juvenile fish excluder cum shrimp sorting devices) 3 Rigid-grate excluder. 4. Nordmore Grid

 Hard BRD

Developed by CIFT
It brings down the bycatch of juveniles and small sized

non targeted species , at the same time enabling fisherman to harvest and retain large commercially valuable finfishes and shrimp species. Under experimental operation it Is found to reduce bycatch up to 43% with a shrimp retention up to 96-97%

 It is generally a circular device constructed of

aluminum with a series of vertical bars built into the frame which is positioned diagonally within the codend of the net at a 45 angle. The vertical bars are spaced apart to allow shrimp to pass through the grate into the codend, whereas larger fish and other unwanted species are deflected by the grate and guided out of the trawl net through the escape opening

 Most nets with a rigid-grate excluder also include a

guiding panel constructed of mesh to funnel fish to the bottom of the net and forward of the BRD, thus minimizing the accumulation of shrimp in front of the BRD when fish are present

Diagram of a typical rigid-grate excluder. The diagram shows shrimp traveling through the BRD, while larger fish species are deflected by the BRD and guided through the escape opening. The inset picture is a rigid-grate excluder with one- and one-half inch bar spacing.

 It works in the same fashion as the rigid-grate

excluder, and it is also built into the net at a 45 angle, but the device consists of a panel constructed of soft mesh rather than a hard grate . Soft-panel excluders must completely cover some portion of the net in diagonal cross-section, be constructed with mesh no larger than six inches, and the escape opening must be at least 100 square inches in surface area and positioned forward of the panel.

Diagram of a typical soft-panel excluder. The soft-panel excluder works similarly to rigid-grate excluder, but the device is made of soft mesh rather than aluminum.

 Soft BRD

Sieve nets are cone shaped nets inserted into standard

trawl which direct unwanted bycatch to an escape hole cut into the body of trawl leading to a second codend. The large mesh funnel inside the net guides the fish to a second cod end with large diamond netting, while shrimps pass through large meshes and accumulate in the main cod end. Bycatch exclusion rates of 15-20% with shrimp loss of 5-10% has been reported.

 A fishbox is designed to alter the movement of water

in the codend. It is a box-like device fitted to the top or bottom of the codend with an opening through which fish can swim and escape. A plastic or metal plate (foil) is installed to the front of fishbox frame and another to the top of the frame. These plates generate water turbulence adjacent the escape openings in the bottom and sides of the device as the trawl is towed through the water.

 The bulk movement of this water is forward into the

fishbox and inclined through the escape opening in the bottom of the device. Many fish species actively seek regions of water turbulence because swimming is easier and it is thought that the inclined movement of water helps direct fish out of the trawl. This is a relatively new BRD that has been successfully tested in the United States and Australia.

The fishbox

 Advantages:

Easily installed
Large opening allows large fish to escape May increase shrimp catch due to longer towing time

(less drag and fewer hauls) May reduce sorting time

 Disadvantages:

Poor escape for species that behave in the same way

as shrimp Limited knowledge of fish behaviour and influence of foil design and orientation on fish exclusion rates May foul on the side of the boat duringhauling Will not exclude seabed animals and debris

 Turtle excluder device

TED or 'turtle excluder device' is any modification to a

shrimp trawl designed to reduce the capture of turtles. These devices are sometimes called a 'trawl efficiency device' because they can also prevent the capture of other large animals including sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and some large fish. The most common TED designs use an inclined grid to prevent large animals from entering the codend.

 A panel or funnel of netting immediately in front of the

grid may be used to direct animals away from the escape opening and to maximise the length of grid available to separate large animals from the shrimp and small bycatch. Large animals are then guided by the grid toward an escape opening located either in the top or bottom of the codend. Small animals (including shrimp) pass through the bars of the grid and enter the codend. The escape opening is a hole cut in the codend and is usually covered with a flap of netting or other material to prevent the escape of shrimp.

 A less common TED design uses an inclined netting

panel instead of a grid The netting guides large animals toward an escape opening in the top panel of the trawl while small animals pass through the meshes and enters the codend.

 Two types of TED

1. Hard TED 2. Soft TED

 Advantages:
Very large escape opening may allow large leatherback

turtles and other large animals to be rapidly excluded Exclude some seabed animals (sponges, corals etc.) and rocks (downward-excluding TEDs only) May increase shrimp catch due to longer towing time (less drag and fewer hauls) May reduce sorting time May improve shrimp quality by reducing contact with large animals Reduce hazard to crews from large, dangerous animals

 Disadvantages:

Damage, fouling or clogging of the guiding panel or

funnel by large animals and debris could lead to shrimp loss Fouling of escape opening by large animals and debris could lead to shrimp loss (a.k.a TEDed) A little more difficult to handle than a standard codend Rigid grid may be a safety hazard to crew (depends on location in codend)

 Advantages:

Very large escape opening may allow large

leatherback turtles and other large animals to be rapidly excluded May increase shrimp catch due to longer towing time (less drag and fewer hauls) May reduce sorting time May improve shrimp quality by reducing contact with large animals Reduce hazard to crews from large dangerous animals

 Disadvantages:

Poor installation may affect trawl performance

Damage, fouling or clogging of the guiding panel by

large animals and debris could lead to shrimp loss Effectiveness depends on trawl spread More difficult to repair than a standard trawl Less effective than hard TEDs at excluding heavy items such as rocks and sponges

The Morrison TED is an example of a soft TED

The Nordmore Grid is an example of a hard TED (note the square-mesh window also fitted to the codend)

Guiding funnel

Grid

Escape cover

The various components typically incorporated into the design of a downward-excluding TED

The various components typically incorporated into the design of an downward excluding TED

The various design and construction parameters that influence TED performance and efficiency.

 Non selective gear.

Not any specialized BRD.

In order to achieve a reduction in the by-catch and

discards of under-sized or non-commercial species in a demersal purse seine fishery, tests of a simple bycatch reducing device (BRD) were made. Specifically, the use of a 70 mm diamond mesh panel, in a section of the frontal wing of the purse seine was evaluated

 The results of the trials with the selectivity device or

BRD, were promising, with 61.8% of the fish escaping, especially those that are most discarded (Scomber japonicus, Boops boops, Sardina pilchardus, Diplodus bellottii and Belone belone).

BRD Experimental trials The use of a 70 mm diamond mesh panel in a section of the frontal wing of the purse seine proved to be simple to operate and efficient in discards reduction

 The BRD consists of a panel of diamond-shaped mesh

netting in the posterior part of the purse seine. As the net is pursed, the catch is concentrated near the fishing vessel and the pelagic species, along with small-sized individuals of other species are forced against the device and are thus able to pass through and escape.

 Gillnet is highly selective net.

Bycatch mainly includes mainly mammals, sea turtles

&seabirds. Recent innovations have attempted to make the gill net detectable by marine mammals having echolocation abilities, using acoustic pingers and specially treated netting. Acoustic reflective polyamide netting treated with barium sulfate has been reported to reduce bycatch of porpoise in gillnet.

 The use of By-catch Reducing Devices (BRD) can be

considered positive for the following reasons: - there is no need for structural modification of the fishing gear - the BRD is easy to deploy - it is efficient in terms of species, sizes and quantities of fish that manage to escape.

 These devices can give an important contribution to

the environment, biodiversity, Community structure and fisheries, promoting: - reduction of potentially negative impacts on the environment due to the alteration of habitats and - reduction in catch sorting time and increase in hold capacity for species that are more desirable from the economic perspective