Characterization of the Bycatch in the Commercial Blue Crab Pot Fishery in Georgia, November 2003–December 2006

Abstract Bycatch studies have been conducted in many fisheries in Georgia, but none has focused on the commercial pot fishery for blue crab Callinectes sapidus. The purpose of this study was to identify abundance and seasonality of finfish and invertebrate bycatch species in the commercial blue crab fishery in Georgia. Between November 2003 and December 2006, observers accompanied volunteer commercial blue crab fishers randomly selected from a list of willing participants. A total of 91 trips were observed, with 5,707 commercial blue crab pots sampled. Soak times, or fishing effort, ranged from 24 to 168 h, averaging 55.8 h/trap for each trip. The number of traps sampled each trip ranged from 5 to 163, with a mean of 62.7 traps per trip. We collected 306 finfish and 4,972 invertebrates in this study period. The most numerous finfish were Southern Flounder Paralichthys lethostigma (n = 52), Atlantic Spadefish Chaetodipterus faber (n = 50), Oyster Toadfish Opsanus tau (n = 50), Hardhead Catfish Ariopsis fel...