Wasting The Bycatch

Fisheries management

Is killing 10 pounds of marine creatures worth it to get one pound of shrimp?

The International Game Fish Association, a worldwide group of anglers, says no and is raising attention to the wide-scale killing of “bycatch” by the commercial fishing industry.

Bycatch is considered non-target species, and according to the IGFA, 9.6 billion fish are killed and discarded each year in commercial shrimp trawl nets.

“The 9.6 billion dead fish, if placed end to end, would reach to the moon and back twice, with enough left over to circle the equator,” reports The International Angler. “Seventy percent of the bottom-dwelling creatures in the Gulf of Mexico have already been depleted.”

The problem is worldwide. Off Alaska each year, the commercial industry discards vast numbers of non-target species, including 700 million pounds of whole fish, 300 million pollack and 1 billion various marine creatures.

For information about the IGFA, write 1301 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach, FL 33060.