Efficiency of bycatch reduction devices in small otter trawls used in the Florida shrimp fishery

The extended mesh funnel (EMF) and Florida fisheye (FFE) bycatch reduction devices (BRD) were evaluated in otter trawls with three different sized openings (circumference = 14 m, 17 m, and 20 m) in the shrimp fishery in Tampa Bay, Florida (United States). The mean ratio of finfish bycatch to shrimp in nets equipped with BRDs was substantially lower but not significantly different than the ratios in the control nets. The biomass and number of finfish was lower and significantly different in nets equipped with the BRD's compared to the control nets except in the winter, and the catch per unit effort of finfish was always lower in the nets equipped with the BRDs. The number and biomass of shrimp was not reduced in the 17 m or 20 m nets equipped with the BRD's and differences in the catch per unit effort of shrimp between nets with the BRD's and the control net varied by season and net size.