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Anchored Drift Gill Net
Balderson, John
Balderson, John
Abstract
Spanish mackerel are becoming more abundance in the Bay but present commercial gears have not seen substantial increases in harvest. We proposed to use gill net nets of length longer than permitted under regulation (Chapter 4VAC 20-1990-10 et seq.). It is believed fast swimming pelagic species such as Spanish Mackerel and bluefish can avoid nets of this length due to vibrations and sound from the vessel engine and propeller during deployment. By setting individual drift gill nets of lengths up to 6,000 ft, it is believed this problem will dissipate with distance from the vessel. The purpose of this project is to determine if a longer drift gill net fished primarily at night will be more effective at catching Spanish Mackerel and bluefish while reducing potential bycatch/dead discards and impacts with other marine traffic during fishing operations. The gear will remain attached to the vessel at all times. Fishing at night may reduce conflicts with other fishing activities (both recreational and commercial) given less boating traffic occurs after nightfall.
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2024
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