January 2026

Two devices were designed to prevent odontocetes from depredating caught fish and putting themselves at-risk of becoming bycatch. One device used physical deterrence by shouding the fish with a barrier and the other used psychological deterrence by utilizing prior negative experiences of temporary entanglement in fishing gear. Both devices fit on a branchline at a […]

This study investigated whether North Atlantic right whale behavior changes, in terms of response distance, to changing visual characteristics of rope mimics in their path. 20 ft rope mimics were made from two 10 ft sections of rigid PVC pipe, with an approximate diameter of 1 inch. The rope mimics were weighted and attached to […]

A rare-earth metal alloy (cerium/lanthanide) was tested to determine if it would reduce bycatch of spiny lobster on longlines and rod and reel gear in the Gulf of Maine. Laboratory and field trials showed no significant reduction in dogfish catch.

Acoustic pingers reduced the bycatch of the Common Murre (Uria aalge) in the Puget Sound salmon drift gillnet fishery, but they did not reduce bycatch of the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). Reduction of target species catch was not significant. White gillnet mesh panels in the upper portion of the net reduce the bycatch of seabirds […]

Three types of bycatch reduction devices (BRD) [turtle excluder device (TED), square mesh codend (SMC) and fisheye (FE)] were tested aboard shrimp trawl vessels. Differences in catch from nets equipped with a BRD on one side and a standard net on the other were compared for each of the three BRD’s. Use of the TED […]

A modified longline system with a net sleeve and weight on the secondary vertical line was tested in the Chilean Patagonian toothfish fishery. A net sleeve that deploys to cover the fish/hook when hauled and a weight were attached to the vertical hook line. The net sleeve significantly reduced depredation of fish by killer whales […]