Increasing lifting-bag mesh size to reduce codend occlusion in Australian whiting (Sillago spp.) trawls

Some small-meshed fish-trawl codends require so-called “protective,” “strengthening,” or “lifting” bags for structural support, but these can occlude mesh openings and reduce size/species selectivity. This study compared two lifting-bag mesh sizes (94 and 216 mm stretched mesh opening; SMO) surrounding a 46-mm SMO codend in an Australian whiting-trawl fishery. During 37 deployments off Newcastle, New South Wales, compared to the 94-mm lifting bag, the 216-mm lifting bag significantly reduced the catches of juvenile eastern school whiting ( Sillago flindersi