What is bycatch? | Mongabay explains

Bycatch is when other species accidentally get caught when fishers are trying to get one specific species of fish. In the ocean, it’s not easy to take aim. Multiple species of fish swim alongside marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds. When fishers try to catch their target animals, whether using handheld fishing rods, or laying out nets or lines with hooks that can stretch for miles, other marine animals in the area can accidentally get caught or entangled.

These can include fish that are the wrong sex or size, or fish species that are hard to sell, or a species that’s illegal to catch because it’s threatened with extinction.

This is bycatch. And it’s a conservation problem.

#mongabay #oceans #fishing #biodiversity #climatechange

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