Project

Flatfish in the picture

Flatfish in the picture creates under water video recordings of fish behavior in electrified (pulse) beam trawls. The recordings will help fishers to effectively develop selective trawls based on fish behavior.

With the introduction of the European landing obligation, fishers and scientists have been working on selective solutions for the 80mm electrified (pulse) beam trawl fishery targeting Dover sole. However, gear innovation has not been sufficient yet for this fishery to meet the current landing obligation.

For this fishery bycatches of undersized fish are problematic with a full implementation of the landing obligation, therefore several projects were executed to develop more selective trawls. However, none of the trawl designs are used commercially as minor discard reductions were accompanied by unacceptable losses of commercial catches. With limited knowledge on fish behavior in this fishery, development of selective devices is frequently based on trial and error without understanding the mechanism behind these devices. Despite the rapidly approaching full implementation of the landings obligation, motivation among fishers to develop selective trawls has reduced significantly in 2017. This is primarily due to minimal progress achieved in the past and a lack of new ideas.

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings


- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

With this project Wageningen Marine Research aims to provide fishers with fundamental knowledge of fish behavior in their trawls. In this project a method was developed to collect underwater recordings of flatfish behavior in commercial pulse trawls. With knowledge on fish behavior, targeted development of species-specific selective devices can enhance and provide scientists and fishers with information to reduce unwanted bycatch in the sole pulse trawl fishery.

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings