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Lookup NU author(s): Dr G Hunt, Dr Benjamin Wigham, Professor Nick Polunin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© Crown 2024.Understanding long-term change in fish populations often relies on comparing catches from historical and contemporary trawl surveys. However, such comparisons may not resolve biases associated with differences in fishing gears and their relative catchabilities. It is possible to reduce these uncertainties by replicating historical trawl gear and practices. With the availability of unique historical catch data, we investigated the trawl gear employed by the Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee (NSFC) during scientific surveys conducted between 1892–1913 in inshore waters of the Northumberland coast (UK), and describe our attempt to reconstruct the gear using currently available materials. We reviewed the historical literature, photographs and acquired technical expertise to reconstruct a late nineteenth century beam trawl used by the NSFC. The replica gear consisted of a 6.7 m beam connected by two Brixham style wrought-iron trawl heads, which held open a triangular-shaped trawl net with rounded ground-rope. Following construction, we tested the performance and catchability of the replica gear by conducting comparative trawls using a modern otter trawl in August 2018 and March 2019. Both trawl gears exhibited similar catches for flatfish in August trials, yet a higher proportion of individuals were landed by the otter trawl in March. Zero or negligible catches were exhibited by the replica gear during this period. This work collates relevant information to describe the evolution, design and functioning of late nineteenth century beam trawls used around the British Isles, providing an important repository for investigators interested in trawl technology and survey designs.
Author(s): Hunt GL, Engelhard GH, Pinnegar JK, Wigham BD, Polunin NVC
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Maritime Studies
Year: 2024
Volume: 23
Issue: 3
Online publication date: 27/06/2024
Acceptance date: 09/05/2024
Date deposited: 16/07/2024
ISSN (print): 1872-7859
ISSN (electronic): 2212-9790
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-024-00371-3
DOI: 10.1007/s40152-024-00371-3
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