Sea Trials To Assess Knotless Codend Mesh Selectivity

Knotless twine holds appeal for some in the trawl industry, even though it is more expensive than conventional webbing. For example, knotless twine is lighter, often longer- lasting, may reduce fuel consumption, and knotless mesh retains its shape much more effectively. This project was initiated to examine knotless codend performance relative to a standard knotted codend. Analysis of catch per unit effort and length frequency by species detected no significant difference between catches from the knotless and knotted codends. It is strongly suspected that the knotless codends allow more sublegal American plaice (dabs) and perhaps other flatfish species to escape, but a larger sample size is required to confirm this.