Abstract

Shrimp by-catch is conformed by a diversity of fish and invertebrate species which are incidentally captured in trawling fisheries. These species are divided into commercial (those that because of their kind and size can be sold ftesh or ftesh-ftozen in local markets, like flatfish, grunt, perlita, curbinata or catfish) and non commercial (mainly small fish of commercial or non commercial species). The ratio of non commercial by-catch (NCSBC) to shrimp is 11:1. The NCSBC can be composed of up to 90 species, of which 96% are fish 3% crustaceans and 1% other marine organisms. The purpose of this paper was the review of the composition of the non commercial shrimp by-catch, its ge graphical distribution, nutritional characteristics and its possible use es raw material for the elaboration of traditional or non traditional fish products. The NCSBC was collected, without sorting, by scientific observers on board of trawling boats operating in the eastern Venezuela. In the laboratory, the NCSBC was separated by species groups (fish end other organisms); only the fish were used for the processing that followed. All the fish were manually gutted and heeded, end the skin and bones removed using a mechanical processor. The meat yield in this process was 39.2%. Products like hamburger, breaded fillet, pasta, and salami were prepared. They had an excellent presentation and obtained a high acceptance from trained or non trained panels. This leads us to conclude that the non commercial shrimp by-catch, which today has little or no commercial value, can become the main raw material for the elaboration of products based on fish meat

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