Ak pollock industry success with salmon by-catch avoidance gear recognized and supported by NGO's
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton Sept. 24, 2014
The Pollock industry has worked for years with the North Pacific Fisheries Research Foundation to develop gear that reduces bycatch of salmon. Recently The Nature Conservancy was invited to audit the performance of their salmon avoidance gear, to independently certify its effectiveness. This video was produced by the Nature Conservancy, and shared with us via the North Pacific Research Foundation.
The project was an example of the industry and The Nature Conservancy working together on a common goal: making the pollock fishery as sustainable as possible through reducing bycatch to the lowest possible levels.
The gear takes advantage of different behaviors of salmon and pollock. Salmon are stronger swimmers, as they need to swim upstream in their natal rivers - often through strong currents.
The gear modification provides an opening at the lead in the net, which salmon can swim back to, but which pollock can't.
Trials documented in the video showed, according to John Gauvin, that the gear modifications allowed 40%...
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