ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on April 3, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2008 65(4):605-611; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn050
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What do pelagic freezer-trawlers discard?
Wageningen-IMARES, Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, PO Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, The Netherlands
Correspondence to M. Dickey-Collas: tel: +31 255 564684; fax: +31 255 564644; e-mail: mark.dickeycollas{at}wur.nl
Borges, L., van Keeken, O. A., van Helmond, A. T. M., Couperus, B., and Dickey-Collas, M. 2008. What do pelagic freezer-trawlers discard? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 605–611.Estimates of discards by the Dutch pelagic freezer-trawler fleet were derived based on data from observers on board commercial vessels. In all, 27 fishing trips of duration 2–5 weeks each were sampled between 2002 and 2005, covering the North Sea and the western waters of the British Isles. Different methods to estimate discards were compared, and raising these estimates by number of trips or by total landings did not greatly influence the annual estimates of total discards. Some 30 000 t of fish were discarded annually by the fleet, the commercial target species mackerel, herring, and horse mackerel being discarded most, with 41%, 19%, and 15% of the total discards by weight, respectively. The most commonly discarded non-commercial species was boarfish, accounting for 5% of total discards. Slippage accounts for 10% of all discards, and the most common species slipped is herring. There is extensive discarding of juvenile mackerel in the horse mackerel fishery, and to a lesser extent highgrading of mackerel in the same fishery.
Keywords: discards, herring, horse mackerel, raising, slippage
Received 6 June 2007; accepted 2 March 2008; advance access publication 3 April 2008.