Modified gear could increase shrimp catch by 10 percent, limit bycatch

Posted by txseagrant on September 14, 2012May 13, 2015

A small portion of Texas’ commercial shrimping fleet is trawling state and federal waters

ModifiedGear-1 — Inside view of a shrimp net with a composite BRD. Photo courtesy NOAA

with modified gear that could increase their catch by as much as 10 percent while limiting the amount of unwanted species caught to federally acceptable levels.

For an industry that frequently operates on a razor thin margin between profitability and going out of business, 10 percent represents a very significant economic impact, says Gary Graham, Fisheries Specialist with the Texas Sea Grant College Program, who was instrumental in developing and testing the equipment.