FISHERMAN AND SCIENTISTS WILL MODERNIZE FISHING gear for Pollock fishing

This time, the task for scientists, fishermen, and ecologists is somewhat different. Juvenile pollock make up a significant part of the catch. On the one hand, this reduces the efficiency of fishing efforts. On the other hand, it is detrimental to the pollock population.

Without modernization of fishing gear, it is more and more difficult to solve fishery’s existing problems. That is why the selective trawl is the most effective solution to this problem.

Since 2002, pollock harvesting in the Russian Far East has been carried out using pelagic trawl equipped with a special selective insert, which makes it possible to almost halve the by-catch of juvenile pollock. However, with an increase in the volume of the catch (more than 8–10 metric tons) and the speed of trawling, its selective properties sharply decrease and there is practically no release of live juveniles from the trawl. Now scientists have to develop a design that can significantly improve both the selectivity and survival of the released juveniles. They will not only prepare the relevant documentation, but also design and test a pilot model of the selective device.