Fisheries Research 81 (2006) 118125

An assessment of the Swedish grid and square-mesh codend in the English (Farn Deeps) Nephrops shery
T.L. Catchpole a, , A.S. Revill a , G. Dunlin b
a

Centre for Environment Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakeeld Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK b Sea Fish Industry Authority, Seash House, St Andrews Dock, Hull HU3 4QE, UK Received 24 March 2006; received in revised form 5 July 2006; accepted 3 August 2006

Abstract A catch comparison method was used on a commercial vessel to assess the potential of a Swedish grid and square-mesh codend in reducing sh bycatch, in particular cod, in the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery (England). A standard trawl with a diamond mesh codend, as currently used in the shery, was compared against a trawl with a Swedish grid and against a trawl with a Swedish grid and square-mesh codend. The trawl with the grid and diamond mesh codend caught no cod of marketable size and fewer large whiting, plaice and haddock than the standard trawl. However, that trawl caught twice the number of small cod and more haddock (and more Nephrops), as did the standard trawl. The trawl with the grid and square-mesh codend caught less cod, haddock and whiting in all length classes, but Nephrops catches were around half that of the standard trawl. Using the grid meant a 75% reduction in revenue from bycaught sh and squid landings, and when combined with the square-mesh codend, a further reduction of 50% in revenue from Nephrops landings. The implications of these economic ndings are evaluated. Crown Copyright 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Swedish grid; Square-mesh codend; Nephrops; Cod; Bycatch; Farn Deeps

1. Introduction Cod (Gadus morhua) is an important commercial species in the North Sea and Irish Sea, where its stocks are currently categorised as being outside safe biological limits (ICES, 2005). Owing to the currently critical status of the cod stocks, the most recent scientic advice has been to reduce the shing effort exerted on cod of all ages/sizes to zero (ICES, 2005). Further to reducing cod quotas and limiting the number of days that vessels spend shing, changing the structure of trawls, so that the cod encountered by the trawl are not retained, offers another way to reduce effort on cod. In this study, the potential for the Swedish grid and square-mesh codend (SMC), to reduce cod catches and other sh bycatch in an English Nephrops shery is assessed. The North Sea English Nephrops norvegicus trawl shery, adjacent to the Farne Deeps, is a shery in which cod is caught as bycatch. The main port for the shery is North Shields, situated on the mouth of the River Tyne. Other ports from which

Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 1502 562244. E-mail address: t.l.catchpole@cefas.co.uk (T.L. Catchpole).

most vessels come to operate on this shery are Blyth, Amble and Hartlepool. The shing area extends between 0 and 2 W and between 54 and 56 N (Fig. 1). As dened by ICES (the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea), the shery is within management area (MA) I, which contains functional units (FU) 6 and 8, namely the Farn Deeps and Firth of Forth Nephrops sheries, respectively. The Farn Deeps Nephrops shery is seasonal and runs from September to May; the season is dictated by the emergence behaviour of Nephrops (Evans et al., 1994). The bycatch of commercial sh makes up an economically important component of the landings in this shery. In the 2001/2002 season, 900 tonnes of mostly whiting (Merlangius merlangus), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglenus) and cod were landed (Catchpole et al., 2005), worth an estimated D 2 million (euros). In the same season an estimated total of 288 tonnes of cod was taken (landings and discards) (Catchpole, 2005; Catchpole et al., 2005). Unlike haddock and whiting, which rise to the top of the trawl, cod generally remain near the bottom of the trawl during the tow, as do the target species, Nephrops (Briggs, 1992). To avoid any loss of Nephrops, research into reducing cod catches in Nephrops sheries has focused on using structures within the

0165-7836/$ see front matter. Crown Copyright 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.shres.2006.08.004

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Fig. 2. The Swedish grid, constructed of welded aluminium tube (the outer frame (A) 20 mm diameter and inner bars (B) 30 mm diameter), the bar space (C) was 35 mm. The grid was hinged in the middle (D).

Fig. 1. The shing grounds (shaded area) of the Farn Deeps Nephrops norvegicus shery in the North Sea.

trawl to separate cod physically from Nephrops. Trawls that have been developed in other Nephrops sheries include the inclined separator panel (Rihan and McDonnell, 2003) and the Swedish grid with square-mesh codend (Ulmestrand and Valentinsson, 2003; Valentinsson and Ulmestrand, 2005). The use of the Swedish grid and SMC are now mandatory in Swedish national waters (Valentinsson and Ulmestrand, 2005). In the same shery but outside Swedish waters, vessels are heavily restricted in the number of allocated shing days unless the grid and SMC is used. The grid allows Nephrops to pass through the bars of the grid, which are too narrow to allow larger sh to pass. Instead the larger sh are guided upwards to an escape hole (Fig. 2). The Nephrops and small sh pass through the grid into a 70 mm square-mesh codend. The Swedish grid and SMC combination is designed to allow all sh bycatch to escape, effectively making the Swedish Nephrops shery a single-species shery. The Swedish grid and square-mesh codend have not been tested previously in the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery. Trawlers in the Farn Deeps shery currently use 80 mm (single-rig) or 95 mm (twin-rig) diamond mesh codends. The trawls must also have one large diamond mesh panel (140 mm) and one square-

mesh panel (90 mm) in the topsheet, which are designed to reduce sh bycatch. This work is a preliminary assessment of the potential use of the Swedish grid and square-mesh codend and its ability to reduce shing effort exerted on cod and other species in the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery. The importance of collaborative research between shers and scientists on gear technology is well recognised, as is the need to evaluate the socio-economic effects of new gears. This work was conducted on board a commercial vessel with the full involvement of its crew, and included the collection and evaluation of socio-economic data. 2. Method A twin-rig vessel was chartered to conduct the work (Table 1); the skipper had extensive knowledge of the Farn Deeps Nephrops
Table 1 Details of the twin-rig vessel used to perform catch comparisons Engine LOA Year built Trawls Ground rope Bridles Centre clump Doors 215 kW 14.95 m 2003 43 m Gamrie Bay Nephrops trawls 45 m grass rope 100 m 450 kg 2 Dunbar Vee; 2 Thyboron

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Table 2 Details of the two catch-comparison trials with the Swedish grid and square-mesh codend in the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery Trial 1 (G1) Standard trawl Experimental trawl Hauls Dates Area shed Tow duration 80 mm Nephrops trawl with 85.4 mm diamond mesh codend 80 mm Nephrops trawl with Swedish grid and 85.4 mm diamond mesh codend (DMC) 12 611/11/2005 54 53.75N55 06.71N; 01 06.15W01 17.23W 2:002:36 h Trial 2 (G2) 80 mm Nephrops trawl with 85.4 mm diamond mesh codend 80 mm Nephrops trawl with Swedish grid and 70 mm knotless square-mesh codend (SMC) 10 48/03/2006 54 56.82N55 07.88N; 00 59.88W01 18.37W 2:002:05 h

shery. The twin-rig catch-comparison method was employed to assess the potential of the Swedish grid and SMC to reduce sh bycatch. Two trawls were towed simultaneously, one a standard trawl, comparable with those used by vessels in the shery (80 mm diamond mesh, single-rig) (Catchpole et al., 2005); the other was an experimental trawl (Table 2). The rst experimental trawl differed from the standard trawl only in that it had a Swedish grid inserted. The second differed from the standard trawl in that it had a Swedish grid and a 70 mm knotless squaremesh codend. The Swedish grid (Fig. 3) was tted into a non-tapered section of the trawl. Both the standard and experimental trawls had a square-mesh panel (90 mm) in the extension piece and a large diamond mesh panel (158.9 mm) in the headline, in accordance with current legislation. Trials with the grid and diamond mesh codend (DMC) took place between 6 and 11 November 2005, trials with the grid and square-mesh codend between the 4 and 8 March 2006 (Table 2). The experimental trawl and standard trawl were exchanged half way through both trials to negate any side bias. For trials of the grid and DMC, new and identical diamond mesh codends (mesh size 85.4 mm; 4 mm single twine), extension pieces (mesh size 85.8 mm) and lifting bags (mesh size 174.4 mm) were tted to the experimental and standard trawls to minimise unwanted differences between the trawls. The same codend was used in the standard trawl during the second trial. The standard and experimental trawls were the same length in both trials. Tows were conducted in the area used by commercial vessels and lasted for a mean of 2:08 h (Table 2). Tow speeds were 2.33.2 knots and took place between 07:10 and 16:35; all tows were trawled on a straight course. The skipper was asked to sh in an area where he knew there would be both Nephrops and sh. Tows were conducted on previously towed tracks and in close

proximity to other shing vessels, so the trawls were considered to be characteristic of normal practice. On hauling, the experimental trawl was sorted as normal, with the exception that all material that would be discarded back to the sea was retained (discard fraction). During the sorting process, the lengths of the main commercial sh species selected as marketable and those in the discard fraction were measured to the nearest cm below. The main commercial sh species caught were whiting, plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), haddock and cod. All sh of these species were measured when possible; representative subsamples were taken when catch numbers were high, then raised to total catch. The number of baskets of Nephrops selected for tailing (subsequently referred to as Nephrops for tails) and to be sold whole; the number of all other species landed; and the number of baskets of the total discard fraction were recorded. Thus, information on the total catch (discards and landings in quantity and/or number) was obtained for the experimental trawl, along with length frequencies for the four main commercial sh species. Once the sorting of the experimental trawl was completed, the same procedure was used for the standard trawl. For each tow, total numbers at length of the four main sh species were summed across 5-cm length classes. The difference in the number of sh in each 5-cm length class between the experimental and the standard trawls was tested using Wilcoxon signed ranked paired tests. Wilcoxon tests were also performed on the quantity of discards and on the quantity of Nephrops landed. Cumulative length frequencies were generated for the four main sh species for each trial. Landings from the experimental and standard trawls were sold separately. An assessment of the economic consequence of using the Swedish grid for the duration of the trials was determined from the difference in revenues generated from each trawl.

Fig. 3. The Swedish grid, rigged within the trawl at an angle of 45 , the grid required otation from six 20 cm oats attached to the top of the frame (not shown).

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At the commencement of the trials, scientists and the skipper discussed the rationale behind the trials. On completion of the trials, the skipper provided feedback on his opinions on the success of the trials, what the consequences would be of adopting the gear, and his ideas for improving the gear. 3. Results On hauling the rst tow of the rst trial, the extension piece adjacent to the grid had become twisted, which meant nothing could pass through the grid. This was the only non-valid tow, and there were no other blockages of the grid. Catches and landings during the second trial were considerably smaller than during the rst. The skipper attributed this to the poor weather and high tidal ranges. 3.1. Standard trawl versus grid and diamond mesh codend trawl In the three 5-cm length classes between 20.6 and 35.5 cm, fewer whiting were caught with the grid and DMC than with the standard trawl (p < 0.05); 98% of all whiting caught were in

these length classes (Table 3, Fig. 4). Similarly, in the four 5cm length classes between 20.6 and 40.5 cm, fewer plaice were caught with the grid and DMC than with the standard trawl (p < 0.05); 91% of plaice caught were in these length-classes. Fewer haddock were caught in the length class 35.640.5 cm, but more small haddock (10.615.5 cm) were caught (p < 0.05) with the grid and DMC trawl. Fewer cod were caught in the length classes between 30.6 and 65.5 cm with the grid and DMC (p < 0.05). No cod above the minimum landing size (MLS 35 cm) were caught in the trawl with the grid and DMC, but 312 were taken in the standard trawl. However, more small cod were caught in the two length classes between 10.6 and 20.5 cm with the grid and DMC than with the standard trawl (p < 0.05) (Table 3, Fig. 4). In these two length ranges, 2.1 times more cod were caught by the grid and DMC. There were more Nephrops for tails (mean 20%; p = 0.05) and whole Nephrops (mean 30%; p = 0.03) caught by the grid and DMC trawl than by the standard trawl. There was a smaller total discard fraction with the grid and DMC than with the standard trawl (p = 0.03) (Table 4). When using the grid and DMC, landings (the part of the catch selected for market) reduced by 51% in weight and 40% in value,

Table 3 The sum (all tows; N = 12) and mean number per tow at each 5-cm length class of the four main commercial sh species caught when using a Nephrops trawl with a Swedish grid (G1) compared with a standard trawl (S) Length (cm) Whiting Sum 1.55.5 10.615.5 15.620.5 20.625.5 25.630.5 30.635.5 35.640.5 40.645.5 45.650.5 50.655.5 55.660.5 60.665.5 65.670.5 G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S G1 S 2 3 52 73 29 49 383 997 1637 4630 320 1577 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mean 0 0 4 6 2 4 29 77 126 356 25 121 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 1 0.69 0.45 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.18 Plaice Sum 0 0 10 1 29 38 124 256 86 257 14 52 0 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mean 0 0 2 0 4 4 8 22 6 22 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0.14 0.68 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.16 Haddock Sum 0 0 256 179 157 132 0 1 0 1 0 6 0 24 0 11 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mean 0 0 20 14 12 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0.05 0.14 0.32 0.32 0.06 0.04 0.06 0.06 Cod Sum 0 0 873 320 1554 836 14 26 8 5 1 45 0 136 0 59 0 19 0 23 0 11 0 3 0 2 Mean 0 0 67 25 120 64 1 2 1 0 0 3 0 10 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 P <0.01 0.01 0.26 0.66 <0.01 <0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.08 0.16

p-Values (P) derived from Wilcoxon signed ranks paired test. Bold values: p values less than 0.05 at which value of the differences between trawls were considered to be signicant.

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Fig. 4. Cumulative length frequencies for all whiting, plaice, haddock and cod caught with a grid and DMC trawl (G1) compared with standard trawl (number on log scale).

Table 4 Quantity of Nephrops landed and discards generated from a standard trawl (S) compared with a trawl with grid (G1) and a trawl with grid and SMC (G2) (Wilcoxon signed ranks paired test) Mean number of baskets per trawl Nephrops for tails G1 S Nephrops whole G1 S Total discards G1 S Nephrops for tails G2 S Nephrops whole G2 S Total discards G2 S 4.4 3.9 3.8 3.0 1.3 1.7 0.9 2.0 0.8 1.2 0.5 2.4 p-Value

compared with the standard trawl. The most valuable species landed from both trawls was Nephrops, which accounted for 76% of the value of landings from the grid and DMC trawl and 42% from the standard trawl. Whiting accounted for the largest reduction in value of landings when using the grid, followed by squid (Loligo forbesi) and cod. At rst sale, sh and squid worth D 637 were landed from the grid trawl, compared with D 2566 from the standard trawl, equating to a 75% reduction (Table 5). 3.2. Standard trawl versus grid and square-mesh codend trawl Fewer whiting were caught in all length classes when using the grid and SMC compared with the standard trawl (p < 0.05). Fewer plaice were caught in the length classes 20.630.5 cm with the grid and SMC trawl (p < 0.01). Similarly, fewer haddock were caught with the grid and SMC in three 5-cm length classes (15.625.5 cm and 30.635.5 cm) than with the standard trawl (Table 6, Fig. 5). In all, 44 cod above the MLS were caught with the standard trawl; none were caught with the grid and SMC trawl. Fewer small cod (10.625.5 cm) were caught with the grid and SMC trawl than with the standard trawl (p < 0.05). The grid and SMC trawl also caught less cod of 35.640.5 cm and 40.650.5 cm (p < 0.05) (Table 6, Fig. 5). There were less Nephrops for tails (mean 53%; p = 0.008) and whole Nephrops (mean 40%; p = 0.005) caught by the trawl with the grid and SMC than by the standard trawl. There was also a smaller total discard fraction with the grid and SMC trawl (p = 0.005) (Table 4). The total landings value was considerably less in the second trial than the rst and did not reect nor-

0.05

0.03

0.03

<0.01

<0.01

<0.01

Quantity is in units of baskets, whereby one basket of Nephrops selected for tailing 18 kg; one basket of Nephrops landed whole 16 kg; one basket of discards 25 kg. Bold values: p values less than 0.05 at which value of the differences between trawls were considered to be signicant.

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Table 5 Total numbers landed (data from on board sampling) of the main sh species caught and weight and value of landings (data from sales invoices) when using a standard trawl and a trawl with Swedish grid Landings Grid (G1) Number Nephrops Cod Haddock Whiting Lemon sole Plaice Dover sole Squid Others Total 0 1 1813 112 97 57 Weight (kg) 732 0 0 275 17 14 14 85 17 1154 Value (D ) 2008 0 0 184 27 14 75 279 56 2644 Standard (S) Number 325 67 5968 240 337 93 Weight (kg) 672 222 29 939 47 100 20 192 136 2357 Value (D ) 1822 345 43 950 91 113 95 650 289 4388

Table 6 The sum (all tows; N = 10) and mean number per tow at each 5-cm length class of the four main commercial sh species caught when using a Nephrops trawl with a Swedish grid and square-mesh codend (G2) compared with a standard trawl (S) Length (cm) Whiting Sum 10.615.5 15.620.5 20.625.5 25.630.5 30.635.5 35.640.5 40.645.5 45.650.5 50.655.5 G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S G2 S 0 67 2 202 22 2624 299 3302 81 628 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mean 0 5 0 16 2 202 23 254 6 48 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0.04 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 0.03 Plaice Sum 55 19 150 280 101 285 24 86 7 25 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mean 4 1 12 22 8 22 2 7 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0.13 0.65 <0.01 <0.01 0.08 0.18 Haddock Sum 0 51 1 671 0 133 0 10 1 8 0 5 0 2 0 1 0 0 Mean 0 4 0 52 0 10 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P 0.07 0.02 0.03 0.10 0.04 0.06 0.16 0.32 Cod Sum 1 58 21 581 32 245 19 31 1 4 0 19 0 17 0 3 0 4 Mean 0 4 2 45 2 19 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 P 0.02 <0.01 <0.01 0.44 0.41 0.01 0.03 0.08 0.10

p-Values (P) derived from Wilcoxon signed ranks paired test. Bold values: p values less than 0.05 at which value of the differences between trawls were considered to be signicant.

mal commercial practices. Landings from the grid and SMC trawl were 25% of the value of the standard trawl. The value of Nephrops landings was 50% lower from the grid and SMC trawl (D 177) than from the standard trawl (D 361). Feedback from the skipper stressed the loss of marketable sh when using the grid and the loss of Nephrops with the SMC and consequent economic costs. The skipper did not believe that the grid or the 70 mm square-mesh codend had any potential use in the shery. Also mentioned was the potential difculty in handling the gear, although he and the crew were able to work with the grid safely and competently during the trials, sometimes in poor weather conditions. The grid did not pass through the power-block; but this did not affect the shing process.

4. Discussion In the rst trial, the Swedish grid proved effective at retaining less whiting, plaice, haddock and cod of marketable size (MLS of 27, 27, 30 and 35 cm, respectively). However, more than twice as many small cod (10.620.5 cm) were retained by the grid and DMC trawl than by the standard trawl. This was attributed to the different selection properties of the codends. With identical codend, extension piece and lifting bag specications, the difference in selection properties towards small cod would likely be a consequence of the different quantities and composition of the catches retained by each codend. More sh and less Nephrops were retained in the standard trawl, and this was considered to

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Fig. 5. Cumulative length frequencies for all whiting, plaice, haddock and cod caught with a grid trawl and a SMC (G2) compared with standard trawl (number on log scale).

improve the selective properties of the codend towards small cod relative to the grid and DMC trawl. Codends containing a greater proportion of roundsh tend to oat and the meshes remain more open than when the catch comprises mostly Nephrops and atsh (Galbraith, 1991). Increased catches of Nephrops associated with reduced roundsh catches have also been observed with other Nephrops trawl designs (Dunlin, 1999; Valentinsson and Ulmestrand, 2005), indicating that codends are less selective when a greater proportion of Nephrops is retained. As a means to reduce shing effort on cod, the grid by itself was not considered to provide the complete solution. Catches of marketable cod were prevented, but catches of small cod (and to a lesser extent haddock) were higher with the grid. This result provided the impetus to examine the combination of the grid with a 70 mm square-mesh codend, which was expected to catch fewer small sh. Testing the grid and square-mesh codend illustrated a reduction in whiting, plaice, haddock and cod across most length ranges. The square-mesh codend was effective in allowing small gadoids to escape, a result consistent with other experiments (e.g., Robertson and Stewart, 1988). The trawl with the grid and SMC retained just 3% of the small cod (10.520.6 cm) that was retained by the standard trawl. In contrast to the grid and DMC, when combining the grid with the square-mesh codend, Nephrops catches were smaller than those from the standard trawl. Other experiments have also shown lower Nephrops catches with square-mesh codends when compared with diamond mesh. In Sweden, there was a loss in Nephrops below 45 mm carapace length (CL) from a 60 mm square-mesh codend, which was not observed from a 70 mm

diamond mesh codend (Larsvik and Ulmestrand, 1992). This was emphasised by a L50 of 26 mm CL for the 70 mm diamond codend compared to 40 mm CL for the 60 mm square-mesh codend. In Portugal, a L50 of 35 mm CL was reported for a 55 mm square-mesh codend (Campos et al., 2002). Similarly, in the Clyde Sea, a 65 mm diamond mesh codend retained 7784% of Nephrops compared with 4054% retained by 68 mm squaremesh codend (Robertson et al., 1986). The Swedish Nephrops shery operates on a stock with many more large Nephrops than that in the Farn Deeps shery. Moreover, the MLS of Nephrops is 41 mm CL in Sweden compared with 25 mm CL in the Farn Deeps shery. There is a market for small Nephrops (2535 mm CL) in the UK, which are tailed; above this size Nephrops are sold whole. The ratio of whole to tailed Nephrops landed in the Farn Deeps shery is 1:1.5 (Catchpole et al., 2005; mean 76 trawls). Therefore, the reduced revenue from Nephrops, that would be incurred by the introduction of the SMC would be much more severe for the Farn Deeps shery than was the case for the Swedish shery owing to the loss of a large proportion of the small but marketable Nephrops. The economic impact of introducing the grid to the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery would also likely be considerable. A previous estimate in 2001/2002 of the contribution that sh bycatch makes to the total landings value was 20% (Catchpole, 2005). During the rst trial, the sh landed from the standard trawl made up 58% of the total value of landings compared with 24% when using the grid. An immediate signicant reduction in revenue would therefore result from the introduction of a grid. Consequently, there is unlikely to be much industry support for the grid or 70 mm square-mesh codend in the Farn Deeps Nephrops shery.

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However, if the management objective for the Farn Deeps shery is to minimise all sh bycatch, then the grid should be tested with alternative codend designs to reduce catches of small sh while retaining marketable Nephrops. Codends with either a diamond mesh size >80 mm, a square-mesh size <70 mm, or a square-mesh top section in the codend could be investigated to achieve this. Acknowledgements The authors thank the skipper and crew, Kevin, Peter and Peter, of the vessel on which the work was conducted. Their willing participation made this research possible. References
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