The twin rig trawler Ocean Spirit was chartered for twelve days in August and
September 2013 to undertake fishing trials off southwest England. The aim of
the work was to improve the selective performance of demersal otter trawls to
reduce unwanted catches of haddock in ICES area VII. The practical approach
taken was to insert large diamond‐mesh escape panels into the top forward
sections of the trawl and to evidence changes in selectivity towards haddock
and other commercial species under normal fishing conditions. The vessel’s own
commercial twin‐rig trawl was used for the trials; one rig was modified by
including large diamond‐mesh panel(s), the other was left in its standard
commercial configuration to provide a direct comparison.
