Better Balance for Bycatch Management

Bycatch can present challenges when trying to balance conservation and utilization in fisheries.  The unintended catch of non-target species ranges from healthy, marketable stocks to endangered and protected species.  Bycatch management has focused on limiting the catch of non-target species, often at the cost of constraining target species catch.  For example, while conserving depleted fish stocks and protecting threatened or endangered marine mammals, turtles and birds is mandated under US law and is of high societal value, there are social and economic impacts that result from lost or restricted fishing opportunities.  Additionally, blanket protections for species groups, such as marine mammals, can result in constraining fisheries and altering ecosystems, often when there is no conservation concern (e.g., grey seals in New England, minke whales off Norway).  While several successful examples of balancing conservation and utilization in managing fisheries bycatch exist (e.g., dolphin-safe tuna fisheries, farm-raised salmon fisheries, bird bycatch reduction in Antarctic fisheries), there is vast room for improving our understanding of the trade-offs between reducing bycatch for conservation purposes and constraining utilization of fishery resources.