Abstract

Escape vents of various dimensions were installed in strings of fish traps then given to fishermen who were told to fish them in their normal fashion and in their normal locations. Catch from each trap was bagged separately and returned to shore where species were identified, counted, and measured. Various vent designs and within-trap locations were evaluated for their ability to retain target species and sizes while reducing bycatch, based on these catch data. Final results identified optimal width and height as well as the optimal location on the trap. In addition to the demonstrated results, fishermen reported that the final design and location for installation basically eliminated the bycatch of undersized, thin-bodied fish in their catches.

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