Characterization of Bycatch in the Cannonball Jellyfish Fishery in the Coastal Waters off Georgia

AbstractStudies have been conducted in Georgia to examine bycatch in many fisheries, but none has focused on the trawl fishery for cannonball jellyfish Stomolophus meleagris. Although this fishery is relatively new, it presently ranks in the top three by weight (kg) in Georgia, along with the food shrimp and blue crab Callinectes sapidus fisheries. The purpose of this study was to characterize and quantify the finfish and invertebrate bycatch species in the cannonball jellyfish trawl fishery in Georgia. Between December 2005 and December 2012, observers accompanied commercial fishers utilizing trawl gear to target cannonball jellyfish in the coastal waters off Georgia; a total of 133 tows were sampled. Observed tow duration ranged from 0.15 to 1.22 h, averaging 0.55 h/tow. During the study period, 1,488 finfish and 150 invertebrates were collected, and 13 individuals representing four species of concern were present in the bycatch. The most numerous species were the Harvestfish Peprilus paru (n = 677), Co...