This work was carried out as part of the Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP)
programme. The fishing vessel Imogen 3 PZ 110 was chartered to undertake
the trials in the South West of England otter trawl fishery in August and
September 2018. Eleven days of fishing trials were conducted in ICES area
VIIE, statistical rectangles 28E3 and 28E4, with a total of 27 hauls
completed, 25 of these were considered valid for examination. The specific
objective of this trial was to investigate the operation and profitability of
a semi‐pelagic trawl towed higher in the water column to catch non‐quota
species. It was thought that John Dory (Zeus faber), Hake (Merluccius
merluccius), Black Seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), Cuttlefish (
Sepia officinalis) and Squid (*Loligo forbesi *& Loligo vulgaris)
could be caught in greater quantities than when using a demersal trawl.
