Bycatch and discard mortality in the commercial black sea bass trap fishery

Black sea bass (BSB) support commercial and recreational fisheries on the US east coast worth about $16M annually combined. Small BSB are discarded and assumed to live, but there is virtually no published information regarding bycatch, discard, or post-release mortality rates within the commercial black sea bass trap fishery. We are documenting bycatch of BSB in the commercial trap fishery, evaluating behavioral (RAMP: Reflex Action Mortality Predictors) and physiological (stress responses, HSP70) predictors of mortality, and holding fish in sea cages in order to estimate post release mortality. Results of this research will provide more accurate estimates of discard rates and post-release mortality for BSB which can be used to improve stock assessment models, and should produce recommendations for alternative fishing practices to reduce post-release mortality, which could improve the sustainability of the BSB fishery.

This project was funded by the NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center, in the amount of $57,421

Below: PhD. Student Cara Schweitzer samples blood from a black sea bass with assistance from a masked man.