Finfish Bycatch Effects on Ocean Shrimp, Pandalus Jordani, Quality
By Vicki Hoover Krutzikowsky, Robert Hannah, Gil Sylvia, and Michael T. Morrissey
ABSTRACT
Bycatch reduction devices (BRD's) have been used voluntarily in the ocean shrimp, Pandalus jordani, fishery off the Pacific Northwest United States to reduce bycatch and the associated labor and time costs. It has been hypothesized that bycatch may affect the quality of the shrimp by causing breakage. In this study, the effect of finfish bycatch on the quality of shrimp was evaluated. A double-rigged commercial shrimp vessel was chartered for test fishing. One net employed a Nordmore grate BRD and the other served as a control. Bycatch was measured from each net. The shrimp catch was kept separate by side of gear and day of fishing, sampled throughout complete processing evaluated for percent breakage by weight. At greater than 50% bycatch there was a significantly higher percent breakage in the control net than in the excluder net for the samples taken before placement in the hold, after being iced and raked, before being cooked and after the second shaker (p less than 0.1). After this point the differences became non-significant. The mean percent breakage increased from a mean 2.4% breakage before placement in the hold to a mean 18.0% breakage in the final product. Other factors such as the molt condition, count per pound, carapace length, phosphate treatment, moisture and microculture were examined and found to not influence breakage. Based on these findings, it is concluded that finfish bycatch does contribute to the breakage of ocean shrimp however the impact is small relative to breakage caused by other handling procedures.
KEYWORDS: bycatch, bycatch reduction devices, excluders, shrimp, ocean shrimp, pandalus jordani, quality
 View Fishery Management: Dealing with Bycatch Session
View Powerpoint Presentation (PDF file)
|
