FINAL REPORT EVALUATION OF A TURTLE EXCLUDER DEVICE (TED) IN THE SCALLOP TRAWL FISHERY OF THE MID-ATLANTIC

An evaluation of the performance of a TED in the scallop trawl fishery of the mid-Atlantic was conducted in July and August of 2006 comparing the catch of the target and bycaught species for two different commonly used types of trawl nets in this region equipped with and without a TED. For both nets, use of a TED resulted in a significant reduction in the total weight of in-shell scallops. The loss was about 8% for the flounder trawl and 7% for the scallop trawl. There was no indication of a change in the size selection in the scallop catch of the TED net, indicating that the loss of scallops is a function of decreased efficiency. Video was able to confirm that scallops were lost from the net out of the TED escape opening, which could explain the difference observed. A difference between the catch of the control and TED net was observed in the field as the total catch increased, and this confirmed by the data analysis. The loss of scallop catch was about 14% or double the overall loss when the scallop catch was over 750 lbs. Analysis of the effect of the TED on the performance of trawls with respect to fish bycatch produced mixed results that do not follow any consistent pattern. Overall, the flounder net had more bycatch than the scallop net, although bycatch rates with both nets were exceptionally low. The results of this study are limited to a single vessel in a single port, and therefore should be considered a pilot project, and more widespread experiments in other ports and aboard vessels of other sizes should be conducted prior to implementation of regulations requiring the use of TEDs in this fishery.