Reduce Whiting By-Catch in the SW Trawl Squid & Cuttlefish Fishery 2016/17 - Fisheries Science Partnership

Ten days of sea trials comprising 21 tows were successfully completed on board the commercial fishing vessel *‘Sue Ellen’* (BM211) in Lyme Bay in January 2017 allowing comparison of the catches in a modified box trawl fitted with a four-panel extension and cod end with those of a standard two-panel box trawl. The aim of this study was to try and reduce the catch of unwanted whiting without loss of squid or cuttlefish. The cuttlefish season had finished for the inshore trawlers at the time of this study, so the emphasis was on retaining squid.