On the technological forefront , changes in mesh size or type as well as hook size and bait type will improve selectivity, sorting grids and the inclusion of Turtle excluder devices have proved successful in reducing bycatch (Hall et al, 2000).
Changing deployment and retrieval practices such as deploying longlines at night time or at different water levels of the water column increases selectivity during the trawling process(Hall et al, 2000).
Fishermen can be trained on fishing methods and conditions that help them avoid high bycatches (Hall et al, 2000)
Areas where high bycatches usually occur can be closed or period during which high bycatches occur can also be closed (Hall et al, 2000)
Fishermen can also be encouraged to set …show more content…
Implications of discards (ecosystem, and economic costs)
Economic costs
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in their 2005 update of the “Discards in the world’s marine fisheries”, the economic costs of discards can be categorized into two cost levels. The first being the costs directly associated with the fishing industry from the fisherman’s end to all the way to the general public as well as fishing authorities and the second being the economic economic efforts to minimize the discard problem (2005).
The Food and Agricultural Organization sections this first level iby the cost burden to fishermen, that of fishing authorities and that society. A fisherman’s short term decision to discard is based on the costs of sorting, catch preservation, hold capacity and landing taxes which they may be able to offset based on the selling prices of their catch if other factors such as bycatch quotas and the reduced quality of their target catch does not cause some value loss to their sales