The Skimmer Trawl In North Carolina Estuaries

This manual compares the skimmer and otter trawls in regard to both shrimp catch and bycatch, based on tests in North Carolina during the summer of 1991. It details how to build and fish the skimmer trawl; outlines the advantages and disadvantages of both types of gear (cost, fuel efficiency, shrimp and bycatch mortality, haul-back, cull time, etc.); and provides a brief history of the bycatch controversy. The skimmer trawl, a cross between a butterfly net and a Vietnamese chopstick rig, proved extremely effective on white shrimp, outfishing conventional trawls by as much as 5-to-1 on this species and sharing less bycatch. The booklet includes detailed construction diagrams, photographs and tables.