Codend selectivity in a commercial Danish anchor seine

In: Noack , T , Frandsen , R , Krag , L A , Mieske , B & Madsen , N 2017 , ' Codend selectivity in a commercial Danish anchor seine ' , Fisheries Research , vol. 186 , pp. 283-291 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2016.10.006

Open Access

Abstract

Danish seining (or anchor seining) is a fishing technique that is gaining increasing attention because itis considered to be a fuel-efficient fishing method with low environmental impact. However, scientificdocumentation of the selectivity characteristics of Danish seines is lacking, and the gear generally isgrouped with bottom trawls and Scottish seines in fisheries management legislation. In this study, wedeveloped a codend cover to estimate the selectivity of a standard commercial Danish seine codendfor four fish species. The data for the dominant species, dab (Limanda limanda) and plaice (Pleuronectesplatessa), was best described by models that combine two or three logistic models, which indicated thatmore than one selection process was at work. Selectivity of cod (Gadus morhua) was best described by aRichard curve and selectivity of red gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucernus) by a logistic curve. The estimatedselectivity curve of dab indicated, contrary to cod and plaice, low retention of individuals below MLS.Confidence limits for larger length classes of cod and red gurnard were relatively wide. For plaice, theestimated selection factor, which is the length with 50% retention divided by mesh size, was comparableto literature values from trawl studies. The average value for cod was similar for Danish and Scottishseines, but lower for trawls. The results are discussed in the context of fisheries management with focuson the landing obligation of the new Common Fisheries Policy