Fisheries Bycatch Reduction

Fisheries bycatch reduction is the set of gear and operational measures that cut the incidental capture of non-target species. The core tools are turtle excluder devices (TEDs), grids fitted in trawl necks that have been required in US shrimp trawls since 1987 and exclude about 97% of sea turtles, and bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) that let finfish escape while retaining shrimp. Other measures include circle hooks and tori lines on longlines, acoustic pingers on gillnets, square-mesh panels, and time-area closures. The US Marine Mammal Protection Act and the EU Common Fisheries Policy landing obligation drive adoption.