Trawl Fisheries

Images from the Scottish fishing industry, from vessels using trawl gear to capture the target species. Trawls are large nets that are held open by metal 'wings' (otter doors) and (in the case of the Scottish langoustine fishery) are dragged across the seabed. The catches are generally quite large but may also catch large quantities of unwanted or bycatch animals which often die before they can be returned to the sea. Different net designs can be used to make the gear more selective however and reduce the impact on the bycatch.