Forming a Partnership to Avoid Bycatch

Bycatch of Yellowtail Flounder in the U.S. Sea Scallop Fishery is a constraint to achieving optimum yield of scallops. Between 2000 and 2009, in-season bycatch closures of prime scallop grounds resulted in economic losses over US$100 million. To address this constraint, we collaborated with the scallop fishing industry to implement a bycatch avoidance program in the Nantucket Lightship harvest area in 2010. Vessels shared near real-time location information about bycatch amounts during fishing activities. We compiled the information, identified bycatch hotspots, and provided daily advisories to vessels on the fishing grounds. Catch per tow of Yellowtail and fishing effort in high bycatch regions significantly declined after the fleet received the advisories. The fleet harvested the target scallop allocation worth US$40 million while catching only 32% of the Yellowtail bycatch limit. This program continues as a collaborative, iterative approach to bycatch reduction that balances fleet objectives with conservation constraints.