Researchers at Mexico’s National Institute of Fisheries (INAPESCA) have designed a new trawling system for catching shrimp, which will result in fuel savings, less impact on the environment, and reduction of non-target species bycatch.
The new trawling system can be adapted to the current fishing fleet, as it is the same size as the shrimp nets used for towing and net recovery.
The new design allows non-target species to escape when fishing for shrimp, which reduces the bycatch by up to 40%. It also decreases the load on the vessel fishing, which reduces fuel use and gas pollution into the environment.
The new technology has been successfully tested by technicians at the Regional Centre for Fisheries Research, which belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in Salina Cruz. The trawling system was tested onboard commercial vessels in the Pacific fleet, and the results showed fuel savings of up to 20% for each fishing trip.
The system consists of conventional shrimp trawling nets, one set of boards and a third part known as a skate, contributing to the union of the two fishing nets over the stern.
The system is available to shrimp fishermen who want to adopt this new technology for more efficient and productive fishing from next season.
Shrimp is one of the main fishing species in the Pacific - behind sardines and tuna - generating direct and indirect jobs and foreign exchange earnings for Mexico.
