Current Projects
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Bycatch Reduction Target:
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| Title | Picture | Industry Partner | Target Fishery | Bycatch | Collaborators | Objective | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haddock and Flounder behavior near regular and floating bridle line and its application to reducing flounder catch in the George's Bank Haddock trawl fisheries |  |
Capt. Peter Cura and the F/V "Fishermen" | Haddock | Flounder and Skates | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries | As much as two-thirds of fish arriving at the mouth of a trawl might have been herded by trawl bridles which connect the doors and the wingends. This project concentrates on fish behavior observations in the field and comparative fishing trials to demonstrate that floating synthetic bridles may be used to replace traditional cookie bridle for haddock trawls to reduce catch of yellowtail and winter flounders.
Click for more information. |
Video work complete. Additional comparative fishing pending funding. |
| Testing of the Rope Separator Haddock Trawl on Georges Bank |  |
Capt. Vincenzo Russo and the F/V "Miss Trish II" | Haddock | Flounder, Skates, and Cod |
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This project is to conduct a follow up test of an innovative haddock trawl design on Georges Bank for the offshore trawl sector. The basis of this net focuses on the separator panel within the main section of the net. The rope separator divides the catch based on the vertical profile. Animals residing higher off the seafloor (i.e. haddock) will be drivin into the codend, while allowing the bottom dwelling species access to an escape panel in the net belly.
Click for more information. |
Last comparative fishing trial scheduled for Spring 2012. |
| Design and Test of a Squid Trawl with Raised Footrope Rigging and a Grid Device to Reduce Winter Flounder, Scup and Butterfish Bycatch (SQUIDGRID) |  |
Mike Walsh and F/V "Atlantic Prince" | Squid | Scup and Butterfish | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries | This project is totest a new squid trawl for the inshore southern New England longfin squid (Loligo pealeii) fishery, incorporating a raised footrope design and a modified Nordmøre-style finfish exclusion grid to reduce catch of winter flounder, scup, butterfish and other finfish species while maintaining squid catch.
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Fishing trial were conducted during the 2011 fishing season. Additional testing scheduled for Spring 2012 |
| Test of Floating Trawl Bridles to Reduce Finfish Bycatch and Seabed Impact for the Gulf of Maine Pink Shrimp Fishery |  |
Capt. Vincent Balzano and F/V "North Star" | Northern Shrimp | Flounder | This proposed project intends to investigate the use of floating bridles in the Gulf of Maine pink shrimp fishery and its effect on finfish bycatch reduction as well as reduced seabed impact.
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Field work complete. Currently analyzing data. | |
| Technology Transfer and Further Research of an Alternative Whiting Trawl Design with a Large Mesh Belly Window for the Maine Whiting Fishery |  |
Capt. Vincent Balzano and F/V "North Star" | Silver Hake (Whiting) | Flounder and Shrimp | This project will conduct technology transfer and evaluate the suitablity of to an alternative whiting trawl with large mesh belly windows (LMBWs). This net is designed to reduce the capture of bottom animals (i.e. flounder and shrimp) by giving them access to an escape panel on the belly of the net.
Click here for more information. |
Fishing trial were conducted during the 2011 fishing season. Additional comparative fishing is scheduled for Spring 2012. | |
| Design and Test of an Innovative Large Mesh Whiting Trawl to Reduce Spiny Dogfish Bycatch in the Southern New England Whiting Fishery |  |
Elias Olafsson (Dantrawl Inc.), Capt. Patrick McGlade, F/V "Enterprise", F/V "Cody" | Silver Hake (Whiting) | Flounder, Dogfish, Skates, Scup and Butterfish | This project is to test a new large mesh whiting trawl for the Southern New England whiting fishery to reduce dogfish.
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Fishing trials are completed. Currently analyzing the data. |