Discard composition of the Nephrops fishery in the Clyde Sea area, Scotland

Demersal fishing gear such as otter-trawls generate large amounts of unwanted by-catch. The Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) is the most important shellfish resource in UK waters and although the fishing effort has increased considerably over past decades the ecosystem effects of this fishery have yet to be evaluated. This study provides the first assessment of the catch and discard composition from Nephrops trawls in the Clyde Sea area with particular emphasis on invertebrate discards. Nephrops constituted only between 14 and 23% of the total catch (volume) other invertebrates and fish accounted for the remainder of the catch. On an average, 9 kg of discards were produced per kilogram of Nephrops. The catch composition differed markedly between samples from the north and south Clyde Sea areas. Trawls from the south yielded a significantly higher biomass of Nephrops (30% cf. 417, in the north) and fish discards (55% cf. 36% in the north) whereas catches from the north contained more invertebrates (60% cf. 15% in the south). Crustaceans and echinoderms accounted for up to 83 and 73% of the discards, respectively. Samples from the north also contained a greater variety of invertebrate species (93 taxa cf. 51 taxa in the south). The differences between the two study areas are likely to be a reflection of differing bathymetries, hydrographic conditions and ground types in each area. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.