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Witherall, Ackley, Coon; January 2002
Bycatch comes in many forms but is usually an issue of priority rather than intention. In some cases, quotas limit the amount of any given species can be caught. If a boat goes over quota, they have to throw the excess back. In other cases, efforts to catch an abundant species will inadvertently catch co-occurring rarer species. If a boat is to meet its quota for the abundant species, it may exceed the quota for the rarer ones. In still other cases, efforts to catch one or more species will catch another species that is entirely prohibited. Finally, it may be permissible to catch only certain sizes or one sex of a species. In all cases, the regulatory solution has been to throw any excess catch overboard. Some species survive the process better than others, but most do not survive the ordeal of being caught in large-scale commercial fishing gear, hauled from what may be great depths to the surface, and released back into the ocean.
This situation presents a challenge and conflict in the management system. On the one hand, people that are fishing honestly should not be punished if they accidentally catch something they did not intend to. On the other hand, it is of concern to allow fishing knowing that there is a real possibility of catching in excess of a quota or a prohibited species, sex, or size class. By law, fisheries managers are supposed to balance these concerns through two steps: measuring bycatch and adopting means to minimize it to the extent practicable.
The North Pacific is a national leader in quantifying bycatch in many of its fisheries through observers-people paid by an independent source to document what is caught on a fishing vessel. But there remains room to reduce this wasteful practice.
Bycatch management measures instituted for groundfish fisheries of the eastern Bering Sea have focused on reducing the incidental capture and injury of species traditionally harvested by other fisheries. Collectively, these species are called “prohibited species,” as they cannot be retained as bycatch in groundfish fisheries and must be discarded with a minimum of injury.
Environmental Justice Foundation's Bycatch Reduction Campaign
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is calling on the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization to create an international plan of action on bycatch reduction. Over 150 scientists and organizations have signed the petition (including more than a dozen Pew Fellows and Advisors). The organization is also campaigning at a European level, advocating an integrated approach to minimizing bycatch and a common set of European Union fishing selectivity standards for both domestic and distant water fleets. EJF is an international organization dedicated to training and supporting local activists, communities and groups in the developing world, helping them to bring environmental injustice to national and international attention.
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