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.

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.

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.

This open access book provides a comprehensive examination of the European Landing Obligation policy from many relevant perspectives. It includes evaluations of its impacts at economical, socio-cultural, ecological and institutional levels. It also discusses the feasibility and benefits of several potential mitigation strategies. The book was timely published, exactly at the time where the Landing Obligation was planned to be fully implemented. This book is of significant interest to all stakeholders involved, but also to the general public of Europe and to other jurisdictions throughout the world that are also searching for ways to deal with by-catch and discard issues.

Potentially harmful contact between fisheries and marine vulnerable species represents a global conservation issue and efforts to mitigate the negative repercussions of these interactions belong in strategies for ensuring the sustainability of fisheries. This literature review offers a survey of mitigation measures and techniques that have been developed and tested around the world, aiming to address both the incidental catch of highly mobile species – specifically, cetaceans, seabirds, sharks and rays, and sea turtles – and depredation caused by dolphins. Based on research detailed in over 300 documents, including peer-reviewed publications, reports from international organizations and papers available on the internet, most of the mitigation techniques illustrated are still under development, with only a few already adopted through legislation. The selected mitigation measures are grouped by main types of fishing gear – gillnets and trammel nets, longlines and lines, trawls, purse seines, traps and pots – and further subdivided according to which of the four main groups of vulnerable species – cetaceans, seabirds, sharks and rays, or sea turtles – they are designed to protect. Preventive and curative approaches covering both technical measures (gear modifications, strategies, as well as acoustic, visual, magnetic and chemosensory deterrents) and management measures are described.