2012 - 2012 Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) English Channel Gillnet Pollack Survey 2011/12 - Fisheries Science Partnership

This work was carried out as part of the Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP), a Defra-funded collaborative programme of scientific research between the UK fishing industry and scientists. Fishermen that normally switch from netting in the western channel to netting in the southern north sea in early spring, wanted to explore the viability of wreck netting for pollack within the channel. The fishermen theorised using a large mesh net in the channel, would be a feasible alternative to fishing the North Sea, were the minimising of the bycatch of cod is a problem. From late February through to mid March 2012, 100 hauls were observed by Cefas scientists. Catch varied from one wreck to the next. But overall the Jubilee Pride successfully demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a targeted fishery for pollack. Catches were dominated by pollack and bib. Pollack accounted for nearly 90% of the total landed weight of fish. Bib on the other hand was mostly discarded, accounting for just 0.7% of the total landed weight of fish. After pollack, the next biggest landing was ling accounting for 6% of the total landed weight of fish. The contribution of cod to the total landed weight of fish was just over 1% (just 20 individuals taken throughout the survey). The bycatch of sensitive species such as marine mammals and sharks was minimal, with no mammals caught and just a few tope and spurdog.