Innovation of seal-safe fishing gear (39564/106607)

Project Details

Description

The general aim of the project is to develop innovative fishing gear as alternatives to gillnets and hook-and-line fisheries in areas where seal attacks on catch and fishing gear are creating serious problems.

Specifically, the project will conduct fishing trials with three different alternative gears to:
1. Optimize the seal-safe Swedish Pontoon trap for catching cod. 2. Optimize the mini-seine for catching cod and flatfish.
3. Investigate cod pot catch rates over a whole year. In addition, the project will provide interested fishermen with the opportunity to borrow and test the sea-safe fishing gears.

The primary effect of the project will be to reduce the effects of seals on the small-scale gillnet and hook-and-line fisheries, and thus help the many small, coastal fishing vessels to be economically sustainable. The introduction of these seal-safe fishing gears will contribute to reducing the bycatch of species that are protected via the EU Habitat Directive (Directive 92/43/EØF of 21 May 1992), like e.g. harbour porpoise, and the EU Bird Directive (Council directive 2009/147/EG (79/409/EEG) of 30 November 2009) like e.g. eiders, cormorants and guillemots.

Funding
The projects is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Danish Fisheries Agency.

Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management
Research area: Fisheries Technology
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date06/12/201731/10/2021

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