This technical report describes efforts to mitigate bycatch through gear modifications and adaptations in the tropical shrimp-trawl fisheries of over 30 countries. It provides a summary of efforts by each country and then synthesizes them to identify and describe best practice. A best practice in bycatch reduction is the application or adoption of appropriate, recognized approaches to modifying fishing gear, with the objective of reducing bycatch to the greatest extent practicable. This information serves as a benchmark to identify countries that are taking appropriate steps to reduce bycatch and those that are not. It also provides context from which the outcomes of research on bycatch reduction can be evaluated and compared, including the identification of effective bycatch reduction devices, and serves to identify future research priorities. In the context of this report, best practice includes the installation and use of TEDs and BRDs that are optimally rigged and operated so as to reduce bycatch. It also includes the application of appropriate regulations to ensure effective performance, as well as the introduction of effective outreach and extension programmes to enhance and sustain best practice to reduce bycatch.

Bycatch is the unwanted or non-target part of the catch taken by fishermen. It is either discarded at sea or used for human or animal consumption. The capture of bycatch may pose a threat to species diversity and ecosystem health because this part of the catch is usually unregulated. In tropical shrimp-trawl fisheries, bycatch often consists of juvenile food-fish species and is therefore a threat to food security and sustainable fisheries production. Bycatch is a global problem that must be addressed. This Guide to Bycatch Reduction in Tropical Shrimp-Trawl Fisheries is designed for fishermen, net makers, fishing technologists and others interested in a practical guide to the design, use and operation of effective bycatch reduction devices. Fishery managers, policy-makers and legislators will find this guide useful to help develop specifications governing the design and application of these devices in a shrimptrawl fishery. The issue of bycatch is not going away and scrutiny of fishing activity is increasing. All fishermen are strongly urged to use appropriate bycatch reduction measures to help maintain the productivity of the fishery and the long term prosperity of the fishing industry. By responding appropriately, fishermen can help to protect the marine environment and assist global food security both now and in the future. Also published in French and Spanish.

The 2019 annual meeting of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) was held from 8 to 12 April 2019 in Shanghai, China. The meeting was hosted by FAO in close collaboration with the Shanghai Ocean University. More than 120 fishing technologists, scientists and other stakeholders, representing 23 countries from Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia, attended this meeting. This report summarizes the four-day symposium, on “Responsible Fishing Technology for Healthy Ecosystems and a Clean Environment”, which was organized as part of the 2019 annual meeting of the ICES-FAO WGFTFB. The symposium comprised eight thematic sessions: (i) abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG): assessment of quantity and measures to prevent ALDFG and its impact; (ii) interactions of protected species in capture fisheries; (iii) light, fish behaviour and fishing; (iv) technology and management to reduce bycatch and discards; (v) selectivity of fishing gear: means and methods; (vi) new technologies for fisheries research and education; (vii) energy, technology, analysis and simulation; and (viii) Chinese fisheries - status, challenges and future. The symposium provided an opportunity for fishing technologists and other experts from ICES and FAO member countries to exchange knowledge and ideas from around the world, especially from non-ICES member countries in Asia and Latin America.

The workshop was jointly organized by the FAO Fishery Industries Division, the Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa (Kenya) and the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban (South Africa), and was hosted by KMFRI. The participants represented national fisheries administrations, non-governmental organizations and scientific institutions. During the workshop, participants discussed existing bycatch policy and legislation, the state of bycatch knowledge and impacts of bycatch, as well as methods for reducing bycatch or improving bycatch utilization in their respective countries. The participants recommended the use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) in the region, to harmonize the data collection among the countries and the improved utilization of bycatch.--Publisher's description.

This publication gives an updated review of the quantity of discards in the world's marine fisheries, using information from a broad range of fisheries in all continents. A number of policy issues are discussed including a 'no discards' approach to fisheries management, the need for balance between bycatch reduction and bycatch utilisation initiatives, and concerns arising from incidental catches of marine mammals, birds and reptiles. The report also highlights the need for more robust methods of estimating discards, and the development of bycatch management plans.