Bycatch exclusion of snow crab using separator panel in seine net for flounder fishery off Kyoto prefecture

Abstract

A seine net with sorting panel and separator panel (mesh size: 600 mm) off Kyoto Prefecture was newly designed to retain flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius and Korean flounder Glyptocephalus stelleri, and to release snow crab Chionoecetes opilio during towing. The separator panel was used to exclude snow crab from the catch, where the height of the panel should be kept high for good performance. The proportion of snow crab released out of the net was 74-98%, while catches of flathead flounder and Korean flounder were 67-88% and 57-70%, respectively. The panel allows snow crabs of carapace width smaller than 100 mm to be excluded from the net, and therefore is useful for the conservation of snow crab resources.