Comparison of catch, landings, and value of crayfish (Palinurus elephas) in tangle nets and pots in Tralee Bay, 2021-2025

Tangle nets are the main fishing gear used to target crayfish (Palinurus elephas) in Irish coastal waters, however, this method can result in significant bycatch of protected and endangered species. This study tested the efficacy of using traps (pots) in the fishery.  Rectangular Aquamesh pots, with a top entry bucket and parlor, and top entry D shaped pots with parlors, had higher catches and higher catch of crab and lobster than other pot types. However,  the standard top entry bucket, single chamber (no parlor) pot was used in fishing trials in order to follow a short soak time, frequent hauling, and lower input cost fishing strategy. The top entry pots are also already commonly used to target spider crabs (Maja brachydactyla).  Pots selected larger crayfish than tangle nets and the proportion of undersized crayfish was
generally lower in pots than in nets. Pots caught more lobsters (Homarus gammarus) than nets. However, after accounting for month, year, and soak time, tangle nets generally achieved higher catch per unit effort, landings per unit effort, and value per unit effort than pot. Nevertheless, switching to pot gear may have several advantages, including (1) elimination of bycatch of protected and critically endangered species, (2) minimizing mortality of catch, (3) better selectivity, (4) higher vitality of crayfish, reducing loss during storage and transport, (5) potential for environmental accreditation, and (6) lower input costs than fishing tangle nets.