Mortality of pike-perch (Stizostedion lucioperca), brown trout (Salmo trutta) and landlocked salmon (Salmo salar m. sebago) caught as by-catch in pelagic trawling in a Finnish lake

Altogether 146 pike-perch, 49 brown trout and 19 landlocked salmon were caught in 23 exploratory trawl-hauls in lake Pyhaselka, Finland. Brown trout and salmon were caught only in surface trawling, whereas pike-perch were taken also in midwater trawling. Most of the fish were smaller than the minimal legal size of 40 cm. To estimate their post-trawling mortality, 129 fish were kept in net cages for 1 week. Less than 15% of the pike-perch and brown trout caught by surface trawl died during 1 week caging, whereas every caged salmon died. Mid-water trawling was far more lethal to pike-perch than surface trawling. We conclude that pike-perch and brown trout can recover from surface trawling. Salmon usually dies after releasing from the trawl, however, our results on salmon has to be considered preliminary due to the low number of replicates. The damage of trawling to the stocks of these predators seems minor. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.