To better understand the nature of discards and their impact in ecological, socioeconomic and technical terms, the MINOUW project ran 17 case studies spread across 7 countries, including fisheries based on trawl gears, purse seines, dredges, traps, pots, nets and loglines.

Find out more about what each case study involved, and what we hoped to achieve, reading the case study summaries below.

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Case Study 1.1: Icelandic Demersal Fishery

Exploring the ecological and environmental impacts of discarding in Icelandic Demersal fisheries using modelling techniques.
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Case Study 1.2: Deep-water crustacean fishery, Portugal

Evaluating whether use of light technology and alternative fishing gear can improve catch efficiency and reduce by-catch in deep-water crustacean fisheries. Read more

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Case Study 1.3: North and South Iberian hake stocks

Assessing the impact of using bioeconomic modelling techniques to help reduce discards in the fishery. Read more

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Case Study 1.4: Sea bottom trawl in Catalonia

Evaluating the use of new technologies to reduce the large quantities of by-catch produced by bottom trawl fisheries.Read More

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Case Study 1.5: Bottom trawling in Sicily, Italy

Combining work with local fishers to find practical solutions to reduce discards, alongside scientific modelling on the impacts of discarding practices and solutions on marine ecosystems. Read More

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Case Study 1.7: Aegean Sea Bottom Trawl

Identifying and analysing the factors that lead to discarding practices, and their impact, in the Aegean Sea, and assessing the impact of pre-catch monitoring technologies. Read More

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Case Study 1.8: Bottom trawl fisheries in Ligurian and N. Tyrrhenian sea

Assessing the impact of light technologies in bottom trawl crustacean fisheries in Porto Santo Sefano, Italy. Read More

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Case Study 2.1: Pelagic trawl fishery in the Adriatic Sea, Italy

Promoting the participation of fishers in the development of management plans to reduce unwanted catches.
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Case Study 2.2: Purse seine fisheries in the Algarve, Portugal

Testing methods for improving pre-catch identification and survival rates of unwanted catches in purse-seine fisheries.
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Case Study 2.3: North Aegean sea purse seine (Kavala)

Fishing small pelagics, sardine and anchovy in the Kavala fleet fishing grounds in the Northern Aegean Sea with purse seine. Read More

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Case Study 3.1a: Trammel net fisheries, Algarve, Portugal

Evaluating modifications to fishing gear in trammel net fisheries targeting Cuttlefish, Soles, and Rays.
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Case Study 3.1b: Bivalve Dredge, Algarve, Portugal

Research to establish the nature of discards in dredge fisheries, and the impact of using a by-catch reduction device (BRD). Read More

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Case Study 3.2: Trammel net fisheries, Mallorca

Testing modifications to fishing gear in trammel net fisheries targeting Lobster, Cuttlefish, and Red Mullet.
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Case Study 3.3: Balearic islands boat seine fisheries

Reduce unwanted species in transparent goby fisheries; detrimental effect on benthos; examine post-release survival of undersized Pagellus, and released Aphia (quota excess).Read More

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Case Study 3.4: Sea trammel nets in Catalonia

Research to understand the impact of discards in sea trammel fisheries and evaluate the effectiveness of possible solutions. Read More

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Case Study 3.5: Trammel nets in Tuscany, Italy

Research to evaluate the impact of modifications to trammel nets on discards in the Ligurian Sea, Viareggio, Italy
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ReadCase Study 3.6: Longline swordfish fisheries in the Aegean Sea, Greece

Evaluating the impact of experimenting with different hook types on catch rates of target species and by-catch. Read More

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Case Study 3.7: Developing gadoid pots, Norway

Using artificial light to improve the effectiveness of pots for gadoid fish along the coast of Norway.
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