Bycatch

Bycatch, in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while catching certain target species and target sizes of fish, crabs etc. Bycatch is either of a different species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juvenile individuals of the target species. The term 'bycatch' is also sometimes used for untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting. Bycatch, in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while catching certain target species and target sizes of fish, crabs etc. Bycatch is either of a different species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juvenile individuals of the target species. The term 'bycatch' is also sometimes used for untargeted catch in other forms of animal harvesting or collecting. In 1997, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defined bycatch as 'total fishing mortality, excluding that accounted directly by the retained catch of target species'. Bycatch contributes to fishery decline and is a mechanism of overfishing for unintentional catch. The average annual bycatch rate of pinnipeds and cetaceans in the U.S. from 1990 to 1999 was estimated at 6215 animals with a standard error of 448. The fisherman bycatch issue originated due to the 'mortality of dolphins in tuna nets in the 1960s'. There are at least four different ways the word 'bycatch' is used in fisheries: Additionally, the term 'deliberate bycatch' is used to refer to bycatch as a source of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) in several areas throughout world. Given the popularity of recreational fishing throughout the world, a small local study in the US in 2013 suggested that discards may be an important unmonitored source of fish mortality. The highest rates of incidental catch of non-target species are associated with tropical shrimp trawling. In 1997, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) documented the estimated bycatch and discard levels from shrimp fisheries around the world. They found discard rates (bycatch to catch ratios) as high as 20:1 with a world average of 5.7:1. Shrimp trawl fisheries catch 2% of the world total catch of all fish by weight, but produce more than one-third of the world total bycatch. American shrimp trawlers produce bycatch ratios between 3:1 (3 bycatch:1 shrimp) and 15:1 (15 bycatch:1 shrimp).