By-catch in the Australian fisheries in Division 58.5.2

This paper presents bycatch information for the Australian fisheries in Divisions 58.5.2 for the 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 seasons. Bycatch in the trawl fisheries was low, generally less than 1% of the total catch (target plus bycatch). Higher percentage bycatch rates occurred in trawling grounds where the fishing effort and therefore target catch was low. Bycatch in the longline fisheries was higher, ranging from 6% to 13% of the total catch when only landed bycatch was considered and ranging between 11 to 26% when skate and grenadiers cut and lost from longlines were included. The main bycatch species were skates and grenadiers in the D. eleginoides fishery and skates and C. rhinoceratus in the C. gunnari fishery. The total skate catch in Division 58.5.2 (including those cut from longlines) was 126.6 tonnes in 2003/2004 and 91.1 tonnes in 2004/2005.