Dataset: Species counts from control and gear manipulation trials to reduce bycatch of juvenile fish carried out on fishing vessels in the Northeast Consortium (NEC) in the Southwest coastal Maine from 2011-2012 (NEC_ProjDev project)

The Maine Department of Marine Resources, in collaboration with three fishermen, tested five gear manipulations in floating near-shore pound nets to evaluate their effectivness in reducing the incidental take of juvenile American shad (Alosa sapidissima), blueback herring (A. aestivalis), and alewife (A. pseudoharengus), while maintaining the catch quanitity and quality of the target species.

Sampling hauls generally alternated between gear manipulation and control trials on a 3-day rotation. During each trip, a portion of the total catch was sampled for species composition. Length was recorded for a sub-sample of each species.

See also: photographs taken during sampling trips (70.9 MB .zip file)

Other Project Participants:
Michael Brown, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (former project PI)
Rob Bernat (Fisherman)
Brett Gilliam (Fisherman)
Dan Harriman (Fisherman)

References:
Enterline, Claire. Reducing juvenile alewife, blueback, and american shad bycatch in the coastal pound net and floating fish trap fisheries. Northeast Consortium Final Report 11-142.